Top 5 of 2024: A Crobs Abroad Year in Review

Glasgow, Scotland, UK • December 2024 • Length of Read: 2 Minutes

The out-of-office e-mail is set, the festivities have begun, and with that comes the ninth annual Crobs Abroad year in review. A year of fitness activities, exploring my homeland, and helping Billie, our once scared and anxious rescue dog, flourish into a confident and loving family member who we couldn’t imagine life without.

With our newly adopted pup, international travel wasn’t on the cards, so we used this as an opportunity to visit the parks, cafes, and sights on our doorstep. A pair of trips to visit my friend Jason in St. Albans were made to celebrate a milestone birthday and watch the mighty Hornets from Watford F.C. Some home improvements led to us hosting BBQs, house parties and dinners, and I was welcomed with open arms into a new functional fitness community. To mark this change in training environment, I’m reflecting on my Top 5 fitness endeavours during 2024:

• Completing a Hyrox Doubles with my Dad in Glasgow, a fantastic father-and-son bonding moment (despite accidentally running an extra lap).

• Qualifying and competing in the CrossFit Open Quarterfinals stage, a true reflection of my early morning alarm clocks and diligent training.

• Travelling to Birmingham to represent CrossFit Glasgow at Strength in Depth, a 2-day team competition featuring swimming, gymnastics, running, and weightlifting.

• Honouring the memory and legacy of Michael Murphy, Navy SEAL, by completing the Memorial Day Murph workout in a 20kg weighted vest.

• Running the Loch Ness Marathon and seeing Eva crush the 10km event.

This year my ears were glued to the new albums from Riley Green, Chase Rice, and Post Malone. I also had the pleasure of seeing incredible live concerts from Nickelback, Wyatt Flores, and Glass Animals. And having become obsessed with the T.V. series Reacher, I embarked on a mission to read the whole of Lee Child’s back catalogue featuring the badass character. I churned through 10 high-octane novels this year, with the fictional hero providing interesting life lessons such as:

• When in doubt, drink coffee

• Assumptions kill

• Never volunteer for anything

• Sleep when you can

• In an investigation, details matter

But the above is preamble for the moment you’ve all been waiting for, the top five top moments from 2024:  

• Getting a promotion at work to Finance Business Partner, using my professional acumen and guidance to support senior leaders with financial decision making and building business cases.

• Attending the Tiree Music Festival with my best friends, camping, surfing, and exploring the beautiful Hebridean island whilst rocking out in the evenings to bands such as Tide Lines, Valtos, and Project Smok.

• Going with gym buddies to the Rogue Invitational in Aberdeen, a live strongman, strongwoman, and CrossFit competition where the best athletes from around the globe gathered to showcase their fitness prowess.

• Gaining the trust and love of my rescue dog Billie. After false starts, patience-testing repetitive training, sessions with a dog behaviourist, and hundreds of treats, we can now go out the house for lovely walks together.

• Eva’s parents visiting Scotland, going on road trips, pottery painting, pumpkin picking, whisky tasting, and our families spending quality time together.

Run a Marathon (Bucket List #72)

Inverness UK • October 2024 • Length of Read: 8 Minutes

My sights had been set on completing the Fort William marathon in 2013, running the race alongside my dad to raise funds for Prostate Cancer UK, the charity that had provided invaluable support during his treatment. The run would mark his recovery back to full health, something I’d kept at the forefront of my mind as I tied my shoes for yet another cold, dark, wintery training run. Unfortunately, however, I twisted my knee a month out from the race and had to withdraw. Instead of crossing the finish line side-by-side, I was side-lined to cheering from the stands as my dad soldiered round the course against the Scottish elements. A real-life action man.

A decade passed, and this item remained elusively untouched on my bucket list. I was still exercising regularly, but unable to face the daunting prospect of training again for something that I regarded as having ended in failure. It finally took some good old peer pressure to shake me from this limiting mind-set. Whilst chatting with Sammy B and AD at a summer birthday party, they informed me of their intention to run the Loch Ness marathon that September. The sales pitch of a beautifully scenic route, the prospect of seeing Nessie, and the consumption of several beers begun to whet my appetite. A bunch of us started giving big statements about how we would join them, most of the chat being all fart and no poo. But priding myself as a man of my word, I signed up the very next morning.

Reality quickly set in that I had 10-weeks to train for the 26.2 mile endeavour. 42.2km across what I also quickly found out was a tough and hilly course. “You’ve chosen quite a brutal route for your first marathon,” warned a seasoned runner from my work. “Make sure you train for the really steep incline at mile 19,” cautioned the Head Trainer from my gym. Any naivety I had about the challenge ahead soon dissipated.

But I wasn’t starting from scratch. I have good base-level fitness from my CrossFit training and grew up representing my school in cross country and athletics. I have a sub 20-minute 5km, a sub 45-minute 10km, and in 2022 I completed the Isle of Skye half-marathon, the furthest distance I’d ever run. Wanting to maintain my strength objectives, I opted to follow a twice weekly running program, with shorter sessions on the Wednesday and longer runs on Sundays:

Week 1 – 10km

Week 2 – 15km

Week 3 – 18km

Week 4 – 21km (half marathon)

Week 5 – 24km

Week 6 – 28km

Week 7 – 15km

Week 8 – 32km

Week 9 – 22km

Week 10 – 13km

Training over the brighter summer months made a massive difference this time around, and I was able to hit every single run as planned. I purchased a shiny new pair of trainers, tested different methods of fuelling and hydration, played about with my pacing, and prioritised sleep and recovery. By the time race weekend rolled around I felt ready, prepared and, most importantly, injury free.

The Loch Ness Marathon and Festival of Running has been a staple in the UK running calendar for over two decades, and draws participants from all over the world. As well as the flagship marathon event, there’s also a River Ness 5km, 10km and wee Nessie races. My partner Eva had been training for the 10km race and we drove the 3 hours north from Glasgow on the eve of the event in nervous anticipation. It was also our rescue dog Billie’s first holiday away since arriving in Scotland, so a weekend full of firsts.

Pre-race nerves are something I’ve had to deal with my whole life, and I had a restless sleep as my mind wandered to the ‘what ifs’ of the run itself. I awoke at 6am to force feed myself some cereal for breakfast and machine gunned the toilet bowl 3 or 4 times before leaving the apartment. I covered my cracks and crevices in enough Vaseline that I could have gone down a slip and slide, leaving nothing to chance. The last thing I wanted was to shit myself Paula Radcliffe style halfway through the race or for my nipples to start bleeding.

The Loch Ness marathon is a point-to-point race, so all participants are transported an hour by double decker bus to the start line near Fort Augustus. From here, it’s a straight line following the southern edge of the loch back into the finish line in Inverness city centre. I met my mate Twiggy at the pick-up point and we hopped on one of the dozens of coaches standing by. There were 6,000 people taking part in the festival of running, of which 4,000 were taking on the 26.2 miles.

The heating was cranked full blast on the bus and as Twiggy stuffed down a melting peanut butter bagel I begun to get a pounding headache. Partly self-inflicted, partly from the fumes being emitted by the double decker as it struggled with the full capacity passenger weight to get up some paved hills. ‘If the bus is struggling with this,’ I thought, ‘then how am I going to manage?’ As a potential bad omen for things to come, the driver then announced that the power steering was broken and after stalling on several occasions, asked if we could make our way on foot the final kilometre to the start line.

As the countdown began, I took in the spectacular vista from our high vantage point, the hues of the surrounding hills and glens bringing out an enhanced sense of patriotism as I tried to block out the squatting runners squeezing out some last-minute nervous poos in the nearby bushes. It was both a beautiful and feral scene.

The starting gun went and we were off, the culmination of 10 hard weeks of training now being put into action. I tailgated Twiggy for the first 6km, all downhill, until I settled into a manageable pace and let him drift ahead. He was undertaking his fourth marathon that year and I was very much aware it was sensible to stick to my own game plan and race. I had 5 gel sachets with me and planned to take one every 5 miles with a spare tub of petroleum jelly in case any sensitive areas needed topping up. Until mile 10 everything was going to plan, with my pace steady and heart rate contained. Suddenly, however, on a sharp downhill that followed a gruelling ascent, my right calf started to fire and hamstring became incredibly tight.

I expected to feel pain and hit the proverbial wall at some point, but not that soon into the race. My practice runs had taken me far longer than that distance without a hitch, and I adjusted my stride to try and rid the discomfort. As I approached the halfway mark, the pain began to subside and I got some momentum back. I turned my cap backwards, picked up the pace, and tried to make up for lost ground. A second wind.

Loneliness then began to kick in. The banks of the loch were tranquil and quiet, good for the soul but at that moment I would have loved a welcome distraction. When it’s just you and your thoughts, sometimes they can be positive and spur you on but sometimes they can turn negative and become your enemy. The race regulations stated that no earphones were allowed on the course for health and safety reasons. Understandable, but apparently ignored by the majority of seasoned runners. I would have really benefited from some motivational music or distracting podcasts as I approached the final third of the race.

The nail in the coffin nearly came at mile 19. As we exited the wooded landscape into suburban streets, spectators began to appear with banners of encouragement. It was a sign tied to a lamppost, however, that caught my eye: ‘STEEP PART AHEAD.’ I lifted my head and stared at the Mount Everest of a hill that beckoned, the top hidden from sight as it banked around to the left. I grabbed a water as I passed by the aid station and my narrowing stride soon slowed to a fast march. It was almost hands on knees for the next mile as myself and all the runners around me began to move at a snail’s pace. The estimated finish time on my watch jumped from 3:50 to 4:15. Not good.

My attention turned to just completing the race, the original goal I had set myself and purpose of this bucket list item. The course followed the cordoned off main road back into the city centre, the mile markers counting down. 3 miles to go. 2 miles to go. 1 mile to go. I was cramping like hell, my energy reserves completely depleted, and a grimace across my face. 400m to go. 200m to go. I saw familiar faces in the crowd cheering me on. Eva and Billie were there. 100m to go. FINISH. 4hrs 5mins. Medal hung around my neck, goodie bag collected, and then collapsing onto the grass in utter exhaustion. No action man, but mission accomplished.

Top 5 of 2023: A Crobs Abroad Year in Review

Glasgow, Scotland, UK • December 2023 • Length of Read: 2 Minutes

It’s that season again. The tree is up, the presents are wrapped, and the snow has begun to fall. It can only mean one thing. It’s time for the eighth annual Crobs Abroad year in review. And what a banner year it’s been. 6 trips overseas, 5 weddings, 4 fitness events, 3 bachelor parties, 2 items ticked off the bucket list and 1 new addition to the family – Billie, our wonderful Serbian rescue dog.

Through the amazing work of the UK charity Balkan Underdogs, we were lucky enough to rescue our mixed-breed poodle from a government pound and have her transported across Europe to a wonderful new beginning in Scotland. After months of planning, paperwork, and background checks, she arrived safe but shell-shocked on a cold and wet November evening. She’s sat next to me on the sofa as I type this, still wary of men and adjusting to her new surroundings, but showing small signs of settling day-by-day. It’s going to be a long journey, one which will truly test my patience, but a rewarding experience like no other.

And with Billie’s arrival imminent, I crammed as much as possible into the milder months, bagging Munros in Aberfeldy, firing machine guns in Prague, exploring Scotland with Eva, marvelling at the Edinburgh Tattoo, commencing Greek language lessons, and upholding an annual autumn trip to see Jay in London.

My fitness has been hamstrung by a long-term hand injury, which kept me from participating in the CrossFit Open, but in March I completed my first ever Hyrox event, a gruelling physical test which left me hungry for more. The season was then book-ended with a team trip to The Castle Games in Middleburgh, a great competition with new friends.

This year I listened to the same artists and songs on repeat, with Spotify branding my listening habits as ‘Time Traveller’. After discovering Zach Bryan in the summer, I dove deep into his back catalogue, and American Heartbreak was the soundtrack continuum to my commutes and concentration. The supporting cast of music included The Mockingbird & the Crow by Hardy, Gettin’ Old by Luke Combs, Damn Love by Kip Moore, and One Thing at a Time by Morgan Wallen.

Five books that captured my attention were Alchemy by Rory Sutherland, The Billion Dollar Spy by David Hoffman, Shoe Dog by Phil Knight, The Future of Geography by Tim Marshall, and Butler to the World by Oliver Bullough.

As tradition states, however, there can only be five top moments from 2023. Drum roll, please:  

• Giving the Best Man’s Speech at my oldest friend’s wedding after two fantastic stag weekends in Palermo, Sicily and York, England.

• Kayaking and wild camping in the Norwegian fjords with Gadams, revelling in a new country and meeting a load of cool, like-mind, people.

• Marvelling at the Disneyland Paris 30th anniversary drone show spectacle and securing an engraved padlock on the Seine Bridge against a backdrop of the Eiffel Tower.

• Exploring the picturesque towns of the Cinque Terre in the Italian Riviera, eating gelato, swimming in the sea, relaxing on the beach, and watching the sun set with a charcuterie and cocktails. La dolce vita!

• Celebrating the marriage of Eva’s sister in Greece, a truly wholesome family occasion as we were welcomed into the culture with love and open arms.

Top 5 of 2022: A Crobs Abroad Year in Review

Glasgow, Scotland, UK • December 2022 • Length of Read: 2 Minutes

Welcome to my seventh annual year in review, in which I take a moment to reflect on our most recent trip around the sun, reminisce over the good times, and take stock of what makes me truly happy in this life. With Eva still living in Yorkshire, I took advantage of hybrid working at the beginning of 2022 to spend one week per month exploring this historic county; seaside towns, cultural villages, picturesque walks, and the industrial estate of CrossFit Teeside. Long distance relationships suck, but not once did it cross my mind that we weren’t going to make it work.

In March, I started a new job, which has proven to be exactly the step forward in my career that I was looking to make. I’ve become steadfast in my own expertise and resolute in the value that I add through my skillset. Becoming comfortable with saying ‘no’ is also a realisation that I’ve made, giving more respect to my own time and desires. My progress in the gym continues, with strength gains, improved gymnastic skills, and completing organised races at the 5km, 10km and half marathon distances. I’m thoroughly enjoying this fitness journey and, despite it now taking precedence over my writing (and this blog), I’m excited to see where I can take it.   

The soundtrack to my calendar year was spearheaded by Raised by Hailey Whitters, Skeletons by The Brothers Osbourne, Young Pilgrim by Charlie Simpson, Growin’ Up by Luke Combs, and Palomino by Miranda Lambert. Five books that I couldn’t put down were The Forgotten Highlander by Alistair Urquhart, Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing, A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles, Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink, and The Storyteller by Dave Grohl.

And as tradition states, here are the top five moments that I want to remember 2022 by:  

• After nearly 3 years working as a Group Accountant for an engineering company, I commenced a new role as Financial Manager for an industry-leading power and energy supplier.

• Completing the Isle of Skye Half Marathon with Gadams, Jason and Euan, followed by a Ceilidh and road trip exploration of the Hebrides.

• Joining the CrossFit Glasgow Competitor Cell and taking 5th place in my first competition, The Castle Games in Middlesbrough.

• Enjoying a relaxing island getaway to Corfu with Eva and her family, further immersing myself in the Greek culture and way of life.

• Eva securing a clinical psychology role in Glasgow, passing her driving test, and moving back home. I couldn’t be more proud of her achievements.

My calendar for 2023 is already filling up, with trips to Paris, stag dos, fitness competitions, and weddings all pencilled in. Yes, work is important, but to me it’s not the be-all and end-all. We will be hosting 3 of Eva’s friends over Christmas, and then her sister and sister’s husband over New Year. Now I’m in my thirties, I have begun to cherish this time spent with family and friends more so than ever before, and I need to gently remind myself of this when the stresses and strains of life begin to weigh. I’ve ditched social media, it was having too much of a grasp on my life, and by doing so I feel better connected to those I care about more than ever before.

Top 5 of 2021: A Crobs Abroad Year in Review

Glasgow, Scotland, UK • December 2021 • Length of Read: 2 Minutes

Welcome to my sixth annual year in review, in which I take a pause to reminisce and reflect on the past twelve months and tie a bow around the highlights package of the year gone by.  Racing out of lockdown as winter thawed to spring, I was right back into the gym and onto the golf course, taking up a membership at Cathcart Castle, getting custom fitted for a new set of clubs, and earning an official playing handicap of 7. A weekend retreat with my family on the Fife coastline celebrated my 30th Birthday in May, followed by a 4-day hillwalking trip with my dad to Newtonmore as he attempts to bag all of Scotland’s Munros for a second time.

Things were stopped in their tracks come June, however, as I was stuck down with covid; pounding headache, loss of smell and taste, toothache and sapped of all energy. I can’t credit my girlfriend enough for how well she nursed me through what was a terribly rough time. After four long weeks I was back on my feet, having completed Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 on the Nintendo Switch, and was preparing myself for the second annual Kiwi, Kiwi Invitational with a joint birthday round of golf at Lundin Links.

Come Autumn things were uprooted as my girlfriend found herself relocating to Yarm, Yorkshire for a career in forensic psychology. Weekends spent up and down the road from Glasgow were smooth sailing in my new Audi A1, however, the VW Polo having given up the ghost after 5 long years of service. The adventures that car has been on and stories it could share… if only it could talk.

The soundtrack to my calendar year was spearheaded by 29: Written in Stone by Carly Pearce, Dangerous: The Double Album by Morgan Wallen, Sunshine State of Mind by Brian Kelly, Letters to You by Bruce Springsteen, and Heart & Soul by Eric Church. Five books that I couldn’t put down were The Premonition: A Pandemic Story by Michael Lewis, In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl’s Journey to Freedom by Yeonmi Park, Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss, Educated by Tara Westover, and The Powers of Geography by Tim Marshall.

And as tradition states, here are the top five moments that I want to remember 2021 by:  

• Playing a Round of Golf at The Old Course, St. Andrews with my dad to celebrate our respective 30th and 60th milestone birthdays.

• Completing the second annual David Goggins 4/4/48 Running Challenge in the coastal town of Whitby with Gadams and Jason; running 4 miles every 4 hours for 48 hours on a local diet of ‘jumbo’ fish & chips.

• Helping my amazing girlfriend move to Yorkshire to pursue her dream job and taking the opportunity to explore a beautiful and historic part of England. As an early Christmas present, I also secured a brand-new job myself which promises to be a fantastic next step in my professional career.

• Competing in my first in-house CrossFit competition and ticking off significant movement milestones and personal records, including: bar muscle-ups, deadlift, back squat and 2km row.

• Breathing in a heavy dose of nostalgia by Catching All 150 original Pokémon on the Game Boy, linking up multiple cartridges and consoles whilst falling back in love with a franchise that so captivated my imagination as a kid.

Closing out the year strongly, I was delighted to accept the honour of being best man at the upcoming wedding of my best friend since childhood and in a few days’ time will be boarding a flight to Greece to celebrate Christmas and New Year with my girlfriend’s family and friends (my first time on a plane in 18 months). There’s so much to be thankful for in this world and I have enhanced gratitude for those that surround and support me. As I enter a new decade in my life, three travel books and a million adventures in the memory bank, I find my focus shifting to other pursuits, but this blog will always be an outlet for my thoughts when needed. The posts may be coming less frequent, but the importance that the Crobs Abroad project still plays in my life is immeasurable.