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
346
Synced from Garmin.
Distance
1297.85 km
Total recorded effort.
Latest
22 July 2026
Most recent synced run.
Featured recovery story
Brisbane - W1 Mon Easy Run - 5.5km Easy Run
Bridge to Brisbane training is officially underway. Week 1, Monday easy run completed with 5.83 km in 42:44 at a steady 7:20/km pace. The goal today was simply to keep it comfortable, build the aerobic base,...
Effort snapshot
20 July 2026 - Brisbane - W1 Mon Easy Run - 5.5km Easy Run
- Distance
- 5.83 km
- Time
- 42:44
- Pace
- 7:20/km
- Avg HR
- 160 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.
22 July 2026
StoryChasing Hills — Week 1 Long Run
7.18 km - 53:21 - 7:26/km
Avg HR
160 bpm
Pace
7:26/km
20 July 2026
FeaturedStoryBrisbane - W1 Mon Easy Run - 5.5km Easy Run
5.83 km - 42:44 - 7:20/km
Avg HR
160 bpm
Pace
7:20/km
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