From the title, you probably thought I may have done something really impressive here, like help with the needy in China, or volunteering my time to training and educating populations about the impending pandemic and things we can do to protect ourselves.

Neither of the above were the case.

I started Kids Lacrosse The World in 2015 - a nonprofit organization dedicated to growing the game of lacrosse on a global scale in rural communities at a grass roots level. On February 7th I left Denver at 8:10pm MST on a plane headed to Seattle, and ultimately Kota, Kinabalu Malaysia. My goal was to work along our program director Rachel Frantz and visit our program schools to work through current programs, initiatives, and future endeavors and check in regarding the current landscape of Covid-19.

Including in this had to be my continuing of training and adhering to a healthy lifestyle principal. Be your best self, no matter what circumstances.

Since Christmas - a time that saw me take three months off of running and any type of organized training, I declared myself to be a renewed man, someone who was content with the time he had taken off and the rest and relaxation with friends and family to be suffice enough to fulfill the spiritual and mental need away from the doldrums of running, training, running, friends, running, racing, rinsing, and repeating.

In the midst of a three-month training block to prepare and get into the best shape I can for my Nepal trip with Scott, picking up with two 32 hour travel days to the furtherest most land mass in the country from the United States for two weeks with a 15+ hour time difference seemed reckless. For me, it felt normal as ever.

After counting, I realized I’ve been to Asia 8 times since 2015. For business and pleasure, I’ve oddly become accustom to the insane travel days, 13 hour flights, and the daily consumption of meat, sodium rich dishes. Culture shock has worn off, and reverse-culture shock has become the new dread. The sweaty, wet smell of the day to day wash isn’t stimulating anymore and I cant count on two hands the number of odd situations I’ve encountered

I regress. As the days wore on, it became apparent that my duty to continue my training was something I couldn’t avoid, and having someone with me who dabbled in ultra-endurance sports was encouraging. in the past, I would of blamed the 90% humidity coupled with the 90F heat to be a good reason to stay inside and nap under the pulsing fan. This time, I abstained from the routine and ran nearly everyday on the trip with the except for a few travel days and weekends spent in the car. It actually felt good, it felt normal.

It paid off. The heat, the sweating, the complaining of 40+ hours of standing outside in the equatorial sun yelling, blowing a whistle will probably be difficult for some to get their head around due to actually spending the past 90 days in winter conditions in Colorado, at altitude, in the mountains.

The days passed, and I continued my commitment to my coaching and my running - finding nearby Bukits (hills) and quiet roads to pass the miles on. Spending 4-7 hours outside a day become the norm and suddenly it felt sane and comfortable - although it meant laundry has to be done everyday.

I write this from the comfort of my home - with the silhouette of North Table Mesa from my window. Currently, we’re quarantined from home for an indefinitely period of time. I promise to write more, read more, and make myself better during this restricting time. It’s clear to see the opportunity this landscape is presenting us, while be cognizant the of the serious issues we are facing.

God bless.

Headed straight into the beast. Social Impact in Asia during Covid-19

From the title, you probably thought I may have done something really impressive here, like help with the needy in China, or volunteering my time to training and educating populations about the impending pandemic and things we can do to protect ourselves.