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
348
Synced from Garmin.
Distance
1308.14 km
Total recorded effort.
Latest
11 Aug 2026
Most recent synced run.
Featured recovery story
Bridge to Brisbane 2026 Training
Another run done, and Bridge to Brisbane is getting very close now. This afternoon I covered 5.34 km in 38:39 at an average pace of 7:14/km. I’ll be doing the full 10K at Bridge to Brisbane, and I’d be lying...
Effort snapshot
11 Aug 2026 - Brisbane Running
- Distance
- 5.34 km
- Time
- 38:39
- Pace
- 7:14/km
- Avg HR
- 163 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.
11 Aug 2026
FeaturedStoryBridge to Brisbane 2026 Training
5.34 km - 38:39 - 7:14/km
Avg HR
163 bpm
Pace
7:14/km
4 Aug 2026
StoryBridge to Brisbane training
4.95 km - 36:44 - 7:25/km
Avg HR
164 bpm
Pace
7:25/km
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