Running Journal - Non-Runners Marathon Trainer - Week 3

Started Week 3 with a 3 mile run on Tuesday afternoon in Dallas, Oregon. The next day that I ran 4 miles to visit my children's great grandmother, Dorthy Anderson. I thought I had to only run four miles for my medium run, but really it was suppose to be five, but I made that I up on the 1.5 mile walk home. I ended the week with a seven mile long run on the hills of Sea-Tac, Washington.

Morgan Family Week in Review - 25-30 July 2011

Sunday Tara stayed home with the Exodus who started throwing up on Saturday evening. I recevied a call from Ryan Morrow, the Executive Secretary, on Sunday morning and he asked if I would say the opening prayer at Sacrament Meeting. I went to Sacrament to say the opening prayer and then when back home to pick up the boys so that they could attend Primary while I taught my Sunday School lesson. After chruch I spent the afteroon canning Corn Relish, while Tara prepared dinner.

Monday morning we finished our last minute packing and then Tara went to Dr. Murphy to get an adjustment and then to get her nails done. Once she returned to the house then I left to meet my mom for lunch and then I picked up a few things for our trip to Oregon. Josh came to pick us up at 5:30 and then we loaded the boys and headed for the airport. Only had to come back to the house once to pick up some cash for the trip. We arrvied on time to the airport and had just enough time to pick up a sandwich and then load the plane. The first flight to Vegas was totally full and Tara and I had to pass the baby back and forth. When we arrived in Vegas we had about and hour layover in which I was able to test the one-armed bandits close to our gate. On the flight from Vegas to Portland the baby had a huge blow out in his diaper which necessitated a total clothes change. Luckily we did have more room and we were able to spread out a bit. We arrived in Portland on time but after a day which started at 600am Tara and I were both a bit testy. Her parents picked us up and we loaded our bags and started to head to Dallas. When Tara put Exodus in his car seat he would not stop crying so we had to pull over once during the 1 1/2 hour trip home so that we could give him a bottle to settle down. We finally made it home about 2:30 in the morning and finally to bed about 4 am.


On Tuesday morning after about three hours of sleep Tara awoke to dress the boys and realize that I had picked up the wrong bag at the airport. After a few calls, Lisa, Tara's sister, and I jumped in her Jeep and headed back to the airport to return the bag that I mistakeningly took from the airport. I also called ther person whose bag I took and apologized profusely. On our way back from the Airport we stopped by the FruitStand to purchase cherries (2.99), blueberries (1.99), and raspberries (1.99)Tuesday afteroon, I got a little bit of work done and then I went for a quick 3 mile run to the high school and back. When I came home all of the kids were swimming in the back yard pool that Grandma and Grandpa Clift had purchased for the kids.

On Wednesday morning I got up and did a bit of work and then I went for a run around town for four miles so that I ended up at Brother Dye's home so that I could check in on the boys Great Grandmother Dorthy Anderson. It was fun visitin and talking with Brother Dye afterwards. On Wednesday afternoon we headed in to Salem to the Carousel for all of the boys and Liberty to ride. On our way home we hit the FruitStand again and then came home to a wonderful roast dinner that Tara's mom prepared.


Thursday morning, I went to drop off the minivan at WalMart and then I went for a 3 miles run. After my run Tara and I and the boys all went to visit Grandmother Dorthy and took some pictures. The boys went swimming in the afternoon in the back yard pool.


Friday morning Tara and I headed started our journey up to Seattle. We stopped at the Lucky Eagle Casino for lunch and then I made a donation to reservation. We arrvied at the hotel at 4 pm and then changed clothes and linked up the Seoul American High School (SAHS) group. As we were waiting for the bus to take us to downtown Seattle, one of my classmates from the class of 1982 walked by me and then turned around to rush over and give me a great big hug. It was Irene Gilbertson Johnson who was my prom date back in 1981.....wow a 30 year blast from the past. On Friday night the SAHS group was partying at The Last Supper Club in Downtown Seattle. Once we arrvied there, Tara and I broke away from the group and caught a pedi-cab and when down to Pier 54 and had dinner at Ivar's. Everything that we ordered was so delicious. Later that evening we caught a taxi back to the hotel.

On Saturday morning I went for a seven mile run (really is was a walk/run/walk/run) around the Sea-Tac Airport. Afterwards I met up with Tara and some of the SAHS group for a contenintal breakfast. After I showered Tara and I met up with Irene to take a quick picture before Tara and I left. At noon my friend Susan came to pick Tara and I up and went all went downtown to have lunch. We had lunch on the pier again and then went for a walk at Pike Street Market. We were able to see the fish handlers throwing large tuna back and forth to each other. I was also amazed by all of the fresh flowers that smelled so good. We also ran into a small Turkish restaurant that had some of the freshest and best tasting baklava (and I lived in Turkey as a child). Afterwards Susan took us back to our hotel and get headed south on the I-5 back to Oregon. On the way we stopped for gas near the the Emerald Queen where I tempted my luck with a one-armed bandit and made a quick $7 dollars. Then later for dinner we ended up in La Center, WA to have dinner and on or way out we hit the Spanish 21 Table for $160.

Running Journal - Non Runner's Marathon Trainer - Week 2

Week two was a pretty good week even with all that happened. 3 miles run on Monday somehow got deleted before it was uploaded to Garmin Connect. Then I had a great 4 miler on Tuesday morning before I had a root canal. Planned on running again on Thursday but my group moved my long run from Saturday to Sunday so I did my last short run of 3 miles on Friday which felt pretty good. Then we closed up the week with a 6 miler this morning in which I felt great. My energy level is increasing and my speed is picking up all around not just at the beginning of the runs.

Morgan Family Week In Review - 17-23 July 2011

Sunday started off really well. We made it to Church on time and this week, I assisted the Aaronic priests deliver the Sacrament. Then for Sunday School we worked on Lesson 29, David O. McKay, Worldwide Ambassador of God. Then for the 3rd hour, I assisted (sat in) Phoenix's Primary class as Tara was filling in for Sister Layton. I ran into Trish Copenhaver in the hallway and invited her and her two daughters, Brooklyn and Ashlynn over for Sunday dinner. I fired up the grill and cooked fajitas. The ladies prepared all of the fixin's and we all have a good time.

Tuesday was movie date with the boys for Tara, and on my lunch on that day, I decided to have a root canal which only took 2 1/2 hours.

Thursday I had to go out to Taylor for a quick appointment and then Tara and I had lunch together at PF Changs with a coupon for free lettuce wraps. Then that night I taught class at Texas State.

Friday was loads of fun. Tara woke up throwing up and then by 8 am, Phoenix was throwing up and then by 9 so was Zion. I was not much help as I had several marathon calls that morning and then I had several appointments on Friday afternoon. On Friday I was able to get five pound of jerky into the dehydrator and baked a pound cake for the Mast family.

Saturday morning we spent the majority of time washing and folding clothes in preparation for our trip to Oregon. I left the house for a little while and when to sign up Phoenix for soccer this fall. I also had a coupon for a free car wash so I had the Altima washed and then I swung by Josh and Chrissta's to pick up some additional luggage. We lazed around the house the rest of the day and then on Saturday evening, I went to Sam's to pick up a 16GB SD card for the Dell Streak. In the 30 minutes I was gone to Sam's, Exodus had come down with the everyone else had the day before and we as losing his cookies!

Morgan Family Week in Review - 10-16 July 2011

This past Sunday we all made it to Church. We sat in the front pews again this week and the boys behavior was a little better, but again we are bumping up against nap time. It did seem as thought they were a little better than they were two weeks ago. Sitting up front, it seems as though you can hear the speakers a bit better and make a connection with them. The lesson this week in Sunday School was Peace in Troubled Times. The kids really liked that the lesson was done in the form of a Concentration Game. In EQ this week we all introduced ourselves which was really night because we have quite a few new members in the quorum. Sunday afternoon we had the Wagner's over for dinner (we also invited the Van Englenhoven's but they had a sick baby). Tara made pulled pork and eschebiche (sp?) and chicken rice (yummy). We had a very good time getting to know the Wagner's better.

Monday it was back to work. After work I took to trimming the plum, apple, and one of the fig trees. I have probably been watering to close to the trunk of the trees and now we have all kinds of little branchs come up close to the bottom of the trunks. Later in the evening we all went for free Slurpees at 7-11.

Tuesday morning, Tara and Sarita took the boys see Barnyard at the Discount Cinema. Tuesday afternoon we deliverd some Hello Dolly's to the Peeks and a birthday bundt cake to Bishop Romero. Tuesday night we all went up to Double Daves for .75 cent pizza rolls. We met up with a new family in the ward, the Dewey's. They literally just moved from Utah a few days before, and we had a great time getting to know them.

Wednesday after work, I was the priesthood pressece at Activity Days and then went for an evening run (not fun).

Thursday afternoon Phoenix had a playdate with William Hammond at his house and then at our house. I taught my evening class at Texas State as the summmer semester draws to a close.

On Friday Tara went for a massage and I watched Exodus and then after work, I went to see Transformers, then later that evening Tara and Deb Pope went to see a movie.

On Saturday morning, I went to a garage sale acorss the street and purchased a box of XMOD RC Cars for $50 bucks. After sorting through the box, Tara and I figured out that we have a least 8 cars and 7 controllers. We figured we would give the boys each a car now to play with and then give the rest of the for Christmas. Later Saturday morning we loaded up the boys and went down to San Marcos to purchase a Coach daiper bag for Jensine. It was a fun trip and a bonus was the fact that the Under Armour Store was next to Coach. We had a lazy afternoon. I was able to get one of our bags packed for our vacation when starts a week from Monday.

Running Journal - Non Runner's Marathon Trainer - Week 1

Was reviewing my training schedule this week and figured out that I set up the spreadsheet incorrectly. What I thought was going to be week 2 was really week 1, so I had another week of 3, 4, 3, and 5.

This week was tougher than the last. Did not want to get up on a few mornings and I ended up walking/sprinting on the five miler. I have also run what I called a compressed scheduled by doing all four run in five days for the past two weeks. I plan on Mon, Tue, Thur, Sat next week and hopefully I will see some improvement. To top that off on Wednesday I did not get up at all, so I had to run in the evening which was not fun in 90 degree heat, but on the flip side, during that run I recorded my fast mile to date. On Friday I ran with Chris, Stacy, and Sarah on the Brushy Creek Trail, but this week we started from the Twin Lakes YMCA trailhead.

Running Journal - Non Runner's Marathon Trainer - Week 0.1

This was a really good week. I got up for runs of 3, 4, 3, and 5 miles. I don't have the Monday 3 miler or the Tuesday 4 miler recorded on the Garmin becuase it locked up and I was not able to return it to REI until Tuesday afternoon. The fiver this week was great because I was able to run with the group of people that I was running with last summer (Chris and Stacy Webber, and Sarah Knowles). I put a bow on the week with a short 14 miles bike ride on Saturday morning with some people from the Elder's Quorum.

Morgan Family Week in Review - 3-9 July 2011

Sunday was a lazy day. The boys were not feeling well so we kept them home, but I went to Church at noon to teach my Sunday School Class. The lesson this week was George Albert Smith: A Mission of Love. We had a very good lesson with some of the students participating in a role playing exercise showing examples of President Smith's love for his fellow man. Sunday evening we grill some chicken in which I overcooked a tad (I would have probably been better off just throwing the chicken on the patio as hot as it has been!).

On Monday after my run, we gathered up my little duckings and headed to the Round Rock 8 Discount Cinema to see the movie Rio in 3D. I was both amazed and impressed by the quality of the 3D effects: plus no nausea or dizziness. We then went home for the boys to rest while Tara and I worked on our new 1000 piece puzzle together.

This past Tuesday Tara had an appointment out in Taylor so she took Zion and Exodus, on her way back she was going to get the van registered, but the boys were being a bit unruly, so as a de-stresser, when she returned home, she took the boys over to the Waldorfs so that they could swim all afternoon. That evening while preparing dinner, Tara said that she did not feel good, and within a few minutes she went from standing in the kitchen to on the family room floor doubled over. I called Chrissta to see if Madi or Natalie could come and watch the boys while I took Tara to the Avery Ranch Urgent Care. We got to the Urgent Care about 6:15 and we were headed home by 7:20. I have always been impressed by the quality and speed of the service with the staff at Avery Ranch Urgent Care.

Thursday night I taught and that night Miss Natalie came over to spend time with her Auntie. I came home from teaching that night and then Josh came over to pick up Natalie, and I went to bed soon after coming home.

Friday morning I woke up at 4:30 so that I could go for a 5am run. Then on Friday at 11am Tara, Phoenix, Exodus and I left for an 1145 appointment at Speciality Pediatrics. We met with a Urology NP to develop a plan of action for Phoenix. Three hours later we were finally leaving from that appointment.

Saturday morning I went on a 14 mile bike ride at 7 am, and then I came home to clean up the pantry. While we were just hanging out in the kitchen, we noticed that Jensine was on Skype, so we all sang her happy birthday over video conference. Saturday morning at 10am, Tara took Phoenix over to Hayden Turner's 6th Birthday party. I then took Zion and Exodus over to KFC to pick up some chicken. We all had a lazy Saturday afternoon: everybody in the house took naps. Saturday evening the entire family went to Pump It Up in Round Rock to celebrate Zion Hyde's 1st Birthday party.

Running Journal - Non Runner's Marathon Trainer - Week 0

I am back at it again. I have started up my training from last year in order to complete the 26.2 Frankenthon on 22 October 2011. The Training Program suggest that you keep a journal of your thoughts and feelings during the week, so this is my attempt at doing just that. Last year when I got to week 12 of my training program, my work situation changed and I was unable to complete the training and therefore unable run in the race. The race organizer agreed to transfer my race registration to this year.

Week 0 for me was to ensure that I was ready for the start of Week 1 which will begin in the morning with a three mile run. This past week I had runs of 3, 4, 3, and then 5 miles, for a total of 15 miles. The weather here has been unbearable hot and one of the mornings I started later than usual, and I paid for it: the sun was bearing down on my like a slave in Roots! This summer I will have to ensure that I am up well before the cock crows. I am so looking forward to two weeks of training in Oregon this summer where I will be able to run at 9 and 10 in the morning and it will still be in the 70's. As far as training is concerned this week, I plan on doing the same this week starting on Monday running 3, then on Wednesday, running 3, and Thursday running 3 again with a 5 miler on Saturday. I will run starting from the house on Monday and Thursday, and run on the Brushy Creek Trail on Wednesday and Saturday.

I really love this training program because it emphasizes FINISHING the race, not completing it any certain amount of time. Two of the major focuses are on safety (not hurting yourself by over training) and hydration (they want you to drink plenty before, during, and after your runs).

So wish me luck and if any of you want to come out and walk/jog with me during the race, I look forward to your support. I am hoping that I can have enough people come out to run with me (it is an open race trail during the race) that I will have the strenght to finish. I will be reaching out to folks as the race date approaches in the fall.

Much Love and Respect, Byron Lynn

Morgan Family Week in Review - 26 Jun - 02 Jul 2011

Sunday started as a spirit-filled day. When I returned from my morning sabbatical, I had that thought that for some reason we needed to sit in the front at church today. While preparing breakfast for the boys, Phoenix said to me, "Dad can we sit in the front at church today." So at church we sat in the front. Once at church, I noticed when we sat down there were only two young men ready to bless the sacrament, so I volunteered to bless the sacrament with Brother Barry, and Drew Chandler. I took the lead and blessed the bread. It has been a long time since performing the sacrament duties, and it felt really good. During the prayer for blessing the bread, I felt the comfort of the Spirit surround me. At the end of sacrament meeting, Brother Brandon Wagner caught up with me and ask if I was doing anything during the 3rd hour, and I told he that I was not, so he asked if I could come to the Deacon's quorum class. After I gave the Sunday School Lesson #25, George A Smith: Responding to the Good, I stepped inside of the Deacon's classroom. Brother Wagner bore his testimony concerning the upcoming lesson and then he told the class why he had invited me to class: he stated that he really felt the spirit that morning while I was saying the prayer while blessing the bread that he wanted me to bear my testimony of my we come to church each Sunday to renew our covenants with Heavenly Father. I bore my testimony to the class while weeping as I was overcome with emotion for the spirit was strong in my last Sunday. At 4:00 pm that day, I made my way over to the Banks family for a home teaching visit with Paul Cannon.

Tara ran on Monday morning with Chrissta over at the Brushy Creek Recreation Center (BCRC). Mr. HoneyDo came by the house at 0945 to install two new Hyloft systems in the garage to create some additional storage space at the house. Will Smith also came by to start weeding the beds in the backyard so that I can get them preped to put down additional weed stop materail for the remainder of the season. Monday night for Family Home Evening, we took the boys to the Round Rock Express game, and they got to see a double amputee, Dana Bowman parachute, into the stadium. Beacause it was Military Appreciation night they had all kind of give aways and junk for the boys. Before we left the game we got in line to get Dana Bowman's autograph. Afterwards we stoppped by the Salt Lick.

On Tuesday, I got up at 5:30 and ran and then Tara left to run with Chrissta at the BCRC. Later that morning Tara took the boys to the Rugrats in Paris movie and then that afternoon, Tara ended up having to take both Zion and Exodus into Treehouse because they were coughing just like Phoenix was last week. They were both put on anitbiotics and steriods. Then Tara recevied a last minute call that day and was invited to go to the New Kids on the Block concert in San Antonio with Beth Dellis. She had a great time but did not get home until about 2 am on Wedensday.

Wednesday was a day of recovery for both Tara and the boys. I ran four miles at the Brushy Creek Trial (BCT), and spent the remainder of the day working from home.

Thursday afternoon, Tara filled up the blow up pool in the backyard for the boys to have some fun in the water.

I took Friday off, and Tara and I were able to spend some time together. I got up and mowed the lawn after Tara returned from her run. Tara went out after her run and picked figs for the fifth time in as many days. She has been picking about 8 pounds of figs per picking. Later that morning we went to the massage school and each received a massage. We then went and picked up the pictures from Father's Day from JC Penny. Then we had lunch as Mimi's Cafe, and afterwards went to movies in Cedar Park to watch Super 8.

On Saturday morning, I went for a five mile run at BCT, then came home and later that morning we took the boys swimming. Afterwards we came home for some much needed rest. When Zion got up from his nap we loaded up the family and went to Georgetown to visit RV Outlet Mall. Then we had family dinner at Hao Hao's in Round Rock.