Stronger Each Step
A recovery journal written in kilometres, heartbeats, and hard-won days.
In 2019, I was diagnosed with severe heart failure. I had never exercised, my health had reached a breaking point, and my heart's ejection fraction had dropped to just 20%. Today, I've rebuilt my fitness, my ejection fraction is back up to 65%, and I'm running 5Ks, riding trails, and chasing goals I once thought were impossible.
The arc
Then
EF 20%
Severe heart failure, no exercise base.
Now
EF 65%
Running, riding, camping, and building toward bigger goals.
Logged runs
344
Synced from Garmin.
Distance
1284.85 km
Total recorded effort.
Latest
9 June 2026
Most recent synced run.
Featured recovery story
Rebuilding Miles: 5.31 km Capalaba Run – Heart‑Rate Focus
Today I’m back on the trail, covering 5.31 km around Brosnan and Barber Drive in Capalaba. The goal? Increase distance while keeping my heart rate in a comfortable zone. I finished in 43:06, averaging 8:07 m...
Effort snapshot
19 May 2026 - Brisbane Running
- Distance
- 5.31 km
- Time
- 43:06
- Pace
- 8:07/km
- Avg HR
- 162 bpm
The comeback
Not a highlight reel. A record of the work.
Stronger Each Step is the public log of the rebuild: the runs, rides, training notes, harder days, better days, and the small improvements that add up over time.
Garmin records the numbers. This site adds the story around those numbers - what the effort felt like, what changed, and why each step mattered.
Current goals
Fitness with a horizon.
Sub-30 5K
Training toward a 5K time I once would not have believed was possible.
160km bikepacking
Preparing for the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail with cycling, camping, and longer outdoor efforts.
Outdoor adventure
Using running, riding, trails, and camping as part of rebuilding life properly.
Weight lost
50kg+
The visible part of a much bigger health rebuild.
Heart function
20% to 65%
Ejection fraction then and now.
Next running target
Sub-30 5K
A clear goal with the training log underneath it.
Adventure target
160km
Brisbane Valley Rail Trail bikepacking.
Distance marker
Longest run
ViewThe biggest run currently stored in the Garmin activity database.
Distance
10.46 km
Time
1:16:50
Pace
7:21/km
7 May 2025 - Brisbane - Base
Pace marker
Fastest average pace
ViewThe quickest average pace currently recorded across synced activities.
Distance
3.66 km
Time
18:29
Pace
5:03/km
11 Jan 2024 - Brisbane Running
Training log
Latest from the road
Recent Garmin activities from the comeback trail, with story and video markers when there is more than the raw data.
9 June 2026
StoryGetting Quicker, Step by Step
3.26 km - 23:13 - 7:07/km
Avg HR
153 bpm
Pace
7:07/km
4 June 2026
StoryDay 4: One More Before Rest
4.18 km - 31:46 - 7:36/km
Avg HR
164 bpm
Pace
7:36/km
3 June 2026
StoryDay 3: Same Route, Same Grit
3.25 km - 24:03 - 7:24/km
Avg HR
159 bpm
Pace
7:24/km
2 June 2026
StoryDay 2: Building the June Streak
3.25 km - 24:03 - 7:24/km
Avg HR
163 bpm
Pace
7:24/km
1 June 2026
StoryJune Kick-Off Run in Capalaba
3.25 km - 24:16 - 7:28/km
Avg HR
158 bpm
Pace
7:28/km