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Braes Fitness

I help ambitious men achieve a high performance lifestyle

Empowering support, relentless standards

11/06/2026

Capable and confident

That’s what we strive for every man who joins OpAct

Finding the right system is a minefield out there when life is busy

This was the case for Craig

A man who works offshore for long periods

A father with many responsibilities

The easy path was letting fitness take a back seat, but that was the root cause of what was holding him back

I see a lot of blokes in a similar position

Allowing it to go on for years

Craig now has a system that suits his life home and away

The results speak for themselves

A hundred miles better

One Step Further 💥

09/06/2026

Second half debrief ⬇️

After a drop off in pace, I still made it to Tyndrum in good spirits

Change of clothes/socks, some food then on to the next leg at a strong pace

At Bridge of Orchy (65 miles) the wheels started to fall off, starting with the climb out of the village

Legs were struggling, left knee was killing me then I kicked a boulder which had my ankle/shin in agony

To make matters worse, I kept boking when trying to eat, my body was rejecting food

Alarm bells ringing, I slogged it out to Kingshouse for 12 miles with the sun coming up when I arrived

After sneaking in a 15 minute nap in the hotel lobby, I had to accept that the rest of it would be walking pace

Despite feeling strong on the devils staircase, it was a very slow leg taking 4 hours to cover 9 miles

Limping into Kinlochleven with swollen knees, I honestly wanted to call it a day

Voices in my head were trying to convince me ‘it’s out of my control’ and ‘I’m doing the right thing’

No chance I was giving up

I met Siobhan for breakfast (pack of crisps lol) and a nap in the car, a double espresso got me going again

The climb out of Kinlochleven was surprisingly fine

Knowing it was going to be a very long day, I hobbled through the glen for the last leg

The many passers-by asking if I wanted pain killers, must’ve looked a broken man 😂

I met with Siobhan shortly before the long descent into Glen Nevis and we finished the last 6 miles together

At 102 miles after 35 hours, I didn’t care about anything other than going to bed

Now that the dust has settled, I’m absolutely buzzing

Still in a lot of pain, but delighted with the achievement

One Step Further 🤘

08/06/2026

First half debrief of the WHW 100 ⬇️

This years training has been committed to Knoydart, therefore expectations had to be managed, just get through it!

(I was assuming around 24-28 hours… 😂)

After a 4 mile run around Milngavie with Siobhan, I set off for Drymen

Good running, good trails, good weather

Happy days

After Drymen I pushed on to Conic Hill then down to Balmaha

Knees felt stiff after the Conic descent but still fine, topped up my water then headed for Rowardennan

After reaching Rowardennan I stopped for a longer break with Siobhan meeting me

Savoury food and a cuddle goes a long way 😂

Confidence was high as I took on the notorious East bank of Loch Lomond

Shortly after Inversnaid the terrain became difficult, lots of scree/roots and scrambling required

Not as bad as I’ve heard or read but still tough, working hard but moving slow!

Things began to ease off and open up before reaching Beinglas Farm (46 miles)

Instead of having a proper rest, I grabbed a can of red bull and shoved a handful of savlon up my arse

This was a mistake I was about to pay for

The next section to Crianlarich was pretty good but I was struggling, any slight inconvenience underfoot and I was walking

Shortly after hitting 50 miles I came to a signpost, I really needed a break now

Add an extra couple of miles by going off the trail into Crianlarich, or just crack on to Tyndrum?

Easy decision, next stop was Tyndrum 🥾

06/06/2026

West Highland Way 100 miler ☑️

Well, 102 ffs

What a beautiful adventure, despite getting absolutely humbled 😂

Everything that could’ve gone wrong did go wrong but job done in the end

Grateful that I’m able to do this kind of stuff nonetheless

Time for bed

04/06/2026

Tomorrow morning the fun begins

Weather is looking pretty good overall for a Scottish Summer

Slowly rebuilding trust in my knees the last few weeks, haven’t done anything big since the Highland Ultra, it wasn’t required!

Ready for what’s going to be a fair old slog but a bucket list adventure too

It’s also going to be a big eating competition, will see how the gut handles all this

(Baby wipes are packed 😂)

Whatever happens, we’ll roll with it

100 Miles

The West Highland Way

Let’s go 👊🏼

I probably won’t sleep tonight

31/05/2026

You need to find a bird to settle down with so you can stay off the booze

That’s what you tell yourself every Sunday night when you’re on a comedown

Firstly, what kind of woman is gonna ‘settle down’ with a guy who spends every weekend getting off his t**s?

Secondly, relying on a new relationship solving your problems is just another form of avoidance

Like putting a plaster on a bullet wound

I see so many guys going down this path

I know a few who’d be triggered reading this lol

(A path that I’ve also been down)

The buzz of a new relationship

Then the honeymoon period fizzles out

Then it becomes clear that the relationship has no future

All in a very short time

So you find yourself back off the rails

Bad habits, poor decisions

No further forward in life

Rinse and repeat

Of course ‘focus on yourself’ sounds pretty cliche

But in all honesty, it might actually be as simple as that?

If your lifestyle needs to change then don’t assign that task to someone else

28/05/2026

It’s been a big year of performance for Kyle

Last year he made a massive improvement after struggling with consistency

Better systems around his extremely busy work schedule was paramount here

Since then it’s been non stop momentum

Having barely ran a 5k…

To smashing sub 90 Half Marathons

To hitting 3.30 on his Marathon debut

Looking at signing up to an Ultra having barely recovered yet

(That’s the best part I’d say 😂)

Absolute machine

Well done bud, have a good recovery then we’ll get going again 🍻

25/05/2026

“I’m a fat c*nt”

“I’m useless”

“I am where I am”

Negative self talk doesn’t go away after you say it

Our brain is always listening

Over time this will shape how we see ourselves, how we show up and what we believe we deserve in life

The more negative we are, the more our brain treats this as factual information

Before you know it, that’s your identity

The fat, useless c*nt who is incapable of taking action

Simple question, would you speak to a loved one the same way you speak to yourself?

Didn’t think so

Only you can change those negative thoughts and feelings

Positivity is good, but you can’t think yourself into the place you want to be

It’s about standing up and taking action

Positivity comes from positive behaviour

22/05/2026

In two weeks time I’ll be taking on my second (and final) big endurance goal of the year

Running 100 miles on the West Highland Way

This’ll be a different challenge compared to the Highland Ultra which I’ve spent most of this year training for

That was only 3 weeks ago, since then it’s been recovery and maintenance

The furthest I’ve ever ran in one day is 57 miles

Many have asked me, why? Why not do it later in the year?

It’s simple

I love ultra running but I don’t like doing it all year round

I like focusing on strength, I like spending time in the mountains

And I like weekends where I can make decisions without thinking about my ‘long run’ that dominates everything

The love of the game eh 😂

This is going to be hard but at the same time I feel no pressure whatsoever

Ready for the adventure

Ready to learn more about myself

That’s what it’s all about isn’t it?

Address

Montrose

Website

https://www.instagram.com/braes.fitness/

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