★ The Archive • Field Notes
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I · Beginner & Ultra
How to Build a Trail Running Base From Zero
Where to begin when the honest answer is nowhere yet. A patient, step by step start.
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II · Female Physiology
What Your Heart Rate Is Actually Telling You
Read effort and recovery properly, hormones and all.
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III · Mindset & Growth
What Happens When You Adventure With Women
Why running together changes everything.
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IV · Motherhood
Running Through Matrescence
Becoming a mother changes you. Running can hold space for that.
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V · Technique
Hill Running Technique and Trail-Specific Strength
Climb on form, not effort, and save your legs for later.
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VI · Race Day
Race Week Tips for Trail Runners
What race week is really for, and how to arrive ready.
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VII · Nutrition
Fuel Isn't Just Energy: Why Carbs Matter More for Women
The science most of us were never told, and why under fuelling quietly costs you.
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IX · Strength & Recovery
Why Strength Training Makes You a Faster Runner
Not bulk. Resilience, economy and speed that lasts.
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I · Beginner & Ultra
Nasal Breathing for Ultra Runners: A Useful Tool, Not a Rule
Nasal breathing can help ultra runners find genuine easy effort on base runs, hikes and early race kilometres.
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I · Beginner & Ultra
Your First 100km: A Realistic Picture
What does training for your first 100km actually look like? The 20-week build and what it takes to arrive at the start line ready.
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I · Beginner & Ultra
4 Key Workouts for Ultra Running
The essential session types that build the endurance engine every female ultra runner needs.
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I · Beginner & Ultra
Fitness Benchmarks For Her Training
A three-tier benchmark system built for female runners and first ultra aspirants.
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I · Beginner & Ultra
Why Your First Ultra Starts With Consistency, Not Mileage
Your first ultra is built by weeks you can repeat, not one heroic effort, so this guide walks you through consistency, easy running and time on feet.
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II · Female Physiology
Sustainable Endurance: How We As Women Should Seek to Evolve Into Longevity
Samantha Gash on why the formula that builds ambitious women in their twenties can break down in midlife, and a framework for capacity that lasts.
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II · Female Physiology
How to Test Your Sweat Rate (and Why Hydration Changes Across Your Cycle)
A step-by-step sweat-rate test, plus how hydration and heat tolerance shift across your cycle and through perimenopause.
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II · Female Physiology
Health Markers Come First: The Foundation Under Every Distance
No distance goal sits above your health. When your cycle, iron or bones send signals, that is the work that comes first.
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II · Female Physiology
Oestrogen and Your Joints.
Stiffer knees and hips in your forties may be hormonal, not just the mileage.
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II · Female Physiology
How to use your Her Trails program across every life stage
This guide shows you how to shape your weekend long runs around your age, hormones and life load so your training stays sustainable through every stage.
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III · Mindset & Growth
Reading Effort, Not Just Data
Learn to read effort, not just data. Building RPE and body awareness so you can train and race by feel on trail.
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III · Mindset & Growth
The Mental Load of Race Registration
Why signing up for a race can feel harder than the training itself, and how to make a supported, realistic decision.
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III · Mindset & Growth
What to Say to Yourself When a Run Falls Apart
Practical self-talk strategies for difficult runs, including the Breathe, One Thing, Next Step framework.
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III · Mindset & Growth
Comparison Fatigue is Real
This is about noticing when comparison is draining you more than the effort itself, and learning to run your own race instead of someone else's.
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III · Mindset & Growth
Iām Not a Runner and I Run Anyway
If you have ever told yourself you are not a runner, this piece is a reminder that showing up is what makes you one, no matter your pace.
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IV · Motherhood
Training Around Real Life
A full life is the context your training fits, not the obstacle. Building a flexible training week that survives.
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IV · Motherhood
Returning to Running After Birth: A Stronger Way Back
A practical guide to rebuilding strength and returning to running after birth with patience and the right support.
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IV · Motherhood
Running a Full Life. Caregiving, Stress, Sleep and What They Do to Your Training.
How allostatic load from caregiving, work pressure and poor sleep affects your training, and how to adjust.
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IV · Motherhood
Training Through School Holidays
A coaching guide to training through school holidays: two non-negotiable sessions and protecting your fitness.
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IV · Motherhood
Why I Stopped Trying to Bounce Back
Samantha Gash reflects on why strength is not about bouncing back to who you were, but about building forward from where you actually are.
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V · Technique
Run or Power-Hike? Making the Smart Call in an Ultra
A coaching guide to the run versus power-hike decision on ultra climbs, and how to train both capacities.
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V · Technique
Power Hiking Is a Skill: How to Train It for Trail Races
Power hiking is a trainable skill, not a failure. Hiking the climbs, descending well and saving your legs.
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V · Technique
Training for a Longer Day
How to adapt a training block when your race day will be longer than the plan assumes: reshape, do not add.
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V · Technique
Training for Trail & Ultra Events Through Winter
How female trail and ultra runners can train safely and consistently through an Australian winter.
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V · Technique
Running Poles: When and How to Use Them
This guide covers when running poles actually help, how to use them well, and the mistakes to avoid so they become an advantage instead of a burden.
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VI · Race Day
Two Bays 28: Racing the Mornington Peninsula Crossing
A Her Trails race profile of Two Bays 28: the course, readiness checklist and race-smart notes.
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VI · Race Day
Tarawera T102: Racing the Ultra-Trail Tarawera by UTMB
A Her Trails race profile of Tarawera T102: the course, readiness checklist and race-smart notes.
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VI · Race Day
Even Pacing Wins: The Race-Day Advantage Women Can Build On
Research shows women pace more consistently across ultra distances. Why that discipline matters on race day.
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VI · Race Day
Reading the Land: How to Pace a Trail Race Without Burning Out
Pacing a trail race is about reading the terrain and managing your decisions, so this guide helps you conserve energy for the miles that matter most.
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VII · Nutrition
How to Fuel a 90-Minute Her Trails Group Run
What to eat, drink and carry before, during and after a typical 90-minute Her Trails group run.
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VII · Nutrition
How Much Should You Drink? A Trail Runner's Hydration Checklist
A quick checklist for how much to drink and how much sodium you need on the trail, plus warning signs to watch for on your next long run.
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VII · Nutrition
The Long Run Gut Guide
A practical guide to fuelling long runs without gut issues, covering how much carbohydrate to start with, why aid stations can overwhelm your stomach and how to troubleshoot nausea.
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VII · Nutrition
When the Gut Becomes the Limiter: A Trainable Race Risk
GI distress is common in ultras, but understanding what causes it and training your gut can reduce your risk of it ending your race.
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VII · Nutrition
Fuelling for Female Ultra Runners
This practical guide covers how to fuel long runs and ultra races with female specific insight into carbohydrates, hormones, hydration and heat.
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VIII · Adventure
Abbey Waited Months. Then She Said Yes to Larapinta
Abbey almost let uncertainty make the decision for her, but she said yes to the Larapinta Retreat and came back ready to help lead other women through it.
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VIII · Adventure
Adventure, Interrupted: And Still Worth It
Your adventure does not end when life interrupts it, so this reflection helps you find adventure in the season you are actually living, not the one you pictured.
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IX · Strength & Recovery
Sleep & Injury Risk, the recovery you cannot skip
How sleep affects your recovery and injury risk, with practical guidance for female trail runners.
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IX · Strength & Recovery
The Niggle Playbook - name it, then train around it!
A quick-reference guide to the four joint niggles seen most often in female trail runners and the first sensible steps to take for each.
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IX · Strength & Recovery
Preventing Trail Injuries: What Actually Works
Injury prevention comes down to building capacity, so this guide covers functional strength, resilient feet, downhill technique and smart recovery.
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IX · Strength & Recovery
Does Running Wear Out Your Joints?
Running is often blamed for wearing out your joints, but the evidence is more reassuring, and this piece explains what actually matters more than mileage.
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IX · Strength & Recovery
Why Strength Training Makes You a Better Trail Runner (and How to Start)
Strength training is not cross training, it is what makes you a more efficient and durable trail runner, and this guide shows you how to start without overwhelming your week.
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VIII · Adventure
Your First Fastpacking Trip: What to Know
A practical guide to planning your first fastpacking trip, from pacing and pack weight to what to carry overnight.
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VIII · Adventure
Gear Systems for Long Trail Races | How to Avoid Friction Over Hours of Running
Learn how to set up your pack, shoes, and layers so nothing rubs or fails you over hours on the trail.
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VIII · Adventure
Night Running: How to Make the Dark Familiar
How to train for night running, test your lighting, and manage pace, fuelling, cold and fatigue as you move safely towards sunrise.
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