What’s saved my mental health the past 6 months

How did I go from here? I don't think I'll ever understand. To this, I'm dizzy. I taste iron. To this, I actually would rather run right now. Running has become one of my favorite ways to explore a new place. You notice things that you'd never catch in a car. The subtle pockets of light, the fog, unique textures, and as a photographer, running almost feels like a cheat code. Around that next corner could be a story you didn't plan for. Somewhere along the way, you stop thinking about pace, distance. You just feel alive. This is the uh the run, jog, the vlog jog. Jogging. Jogging and vlogging. Vlogging and jogging. That sound that there it is. Vlogging and jogging. — 1 2 3 4. — Oh, it's cold. Figured we uh open up the vlog with me changing in a parking lot in Vancouver. Start with your pants and then you'll do it with some vlog magic like this. Okay. Just like that. If I didn't live in Ontario and I lived in BC, I would be such a better athlete because I would be on this trail every single morning. Look at this. All right, guys. Ontario's done. We are never going back. You live here, obviously, and you walk this every day. — Yes. — Yeah, I knew it. Yeah, I should leave in 2 days. So, I am going back. My family's in Ontario. — Testing the stabilization. Do you think I could go 5K holding a vlog camera? I feel like it would probably get pretty sore on the upper part of my arm, but I've got training using the 1DX Mark III for like 5 years. So, I feel like I'd be in a pretty good spot. I might make it further than most people if they had never done it before, but I'm confident I could do this. I didn't last very long. I don't think I could do it. Porsche 400. Sun is breaking. Looks insane. Like I got to go back. All right. See you. Okay. I ran back, grabbed the bag, loaded my film. Well, I kind of just missed it, but I enjoy the experience, which I'm trying to do more of than assigning my worth as a photographer to always getting great content cuz I just love the act of photography as much as I love the results. So, it's it'll be good. I like it. But best I've ever done? No. But the day is young and uh the heart rate is high. Ready to rip. Is that not just perfectly dressed for like a movie? This that is the most cinematic. Oh, that this is why I love running. Hang on, let me explain this to you. Now, one of the best things about running, if you run outside, because I like a mixture of both treadmill and running outside, but if you happen to have a camera with you, which I do sometimes, I do today because I'm running in BC and I don't usually run here. So, I thought like maybe I'd get lucky and I obviously got lucky, right? You're running by and they say it's a great way to explore a new city or wherever you're traveling and that's true, but if you're a content creator or you take photos, it's actually a hack. It's like a cheat code because it's like a location scout while you're also getting your miles in. Seeing all these runners go by as we're filming this. Does it is it making you want to run now? Because you're also a runner. — I love running actually. — Yeah. You're not me into running. — It's funny how — funny enough I run in kilometers even though I'm American and all my brothers and my friends that I send my Straa to are like why in kilometers? I'm like he got me into running so I got to stick with it. So I'm a 5k 10k guy. — Yes. I feel like I have good American friends cuz Casey sends me his run stats in kilometers as well. He converts them and it's a nice gesture that you can get. — So Casey was the first person I ever ran with and I was completely unprepared. I think I ran in Jordans and maybe jeans and a hoodie. — Going running with Casey. — You don't seem very well dressed for it. — It's one of those things that looks easier than it is, but you add Casey to the mix and it just makes it even more difficult. Running is a lot like photography. The learning curve is steep and the first time doing it, you're going to feel like — I don't think I'll ever understand.

— When does it get easier? — But I stuck with it one run at a time until it finally started to make sense. You just got to put your shoes on, get outside, start running. The rest falls into place. So, what's wild is now I'm the guy that packs running shoes on a trip. I will give up half my suitcase for running shoes. I will hit a treadmill if I can. I actually love treadmills. All these years later, like filming filming a running commercial, like I actually would rather run right now than make this vlog. Like this is so beautiful and I'm so cozy and I just like I want to run more than I want to do this. And that I never thought I'd be the guy saying that. — Casey, man, you'd be proud. I think it is like the accepted system for running, right? Like is it like marathons are 42. 2, half marathons 21. — It's like I don't know what a marathon is in miles, but maybe — it's exactly 26. — 26. 2. 5. — How many? — I haven't run one yet. — What is it? — 26. 2. Maybe 26. 5. Something like that. — I don't want people to think I'm a runner because I'm a runner, but I'm not a great runner. — I do like what Casey told me once when I was uh complaining about my pace, thinking like, "Well, I'm not fast enough. I'm not improving. I'm going backwards. " And he just said, "If you put your shoes on and you got out there and you did it, pace aside, how you're feeling aside, you've won. That's victory. Just getting out there and getting it done is better than what most people can do. Keep that consistency up and it's victory every day. — Look out. I just when you do this for a living and then you get to get out here and see the scenes and see the sun and the glistening water and hear the I just Oh, I love it. Freaking love it. I'm just trying to finish a roll for once in my life. That's honestly — Good luck, bud. get it. — Not as cool as I thought. The chase felt good, though. Like the There's a photo. And sometimes that feeling is better than actually even getting a photo. So, have fun. I'm telling myself that to feel better. There's some ducks in the water and they were just splashing. By the way, if this makes it in the vlog, who if I've learned anything from running, it's that you can find great places to film parts of vlogs. for photo shoots to bring people back to just randomly happen upon a scene like someone walking their dogs that you can photograph and get some portraits and get some cool shots that you didn't otherwise plan to. And all of that is coming from just taking a quick break from your run because you were somewhere uh that you didn't plan to be. So that's for me one of the coolest parts about running is being able to explore things with the lens of a creator, the lens of someone that takes photos and makes videos and wants to find cool spots all the time to do this. So now I got to stop here, vlog, take photos, and that would never have happened if we didn't run by. So, thank you to Brooks for supporting this new journey of mine, this new passion of mine, keeping me outfitted, keeping me outside, keeping me running.