Ready for Anything: How Molly Built the Fitness to Back Herself on the Trail

In this episode Molly, a nurse and avid hiker based in Melbourne, shares how online personal training for hiking through Summit Strength helped her tackle long-term arch pain and ankle instability, build real leg strength, and feel confident on the trail.

​Episode Transcript:

Q: So, yeah, really, really looking forward to diving into all of this because I think you've got a very, very interesting story, which I think a lot of hikers on here are going to be able to relate to. So, I guess to kick things off, do you just want to give us a little bit of background and just talk us through who you are, where you're from, what do you do and what is your background in hiking?

My name's Molly. I live in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne in Australia. I've recently graduated a double degree in nursing and public health promotion and I've just started working as a nurse the last few months on a renal ward. My background in hiking, well, I began with Kilimanjaro, which my mum always kind of makes fun of me. She's like, how did you start with a mountain so grand? But I was super into travelling and just saw Kilimanjaro one day and thought, this will be a good way to get into hiking. From there I've just loved it, and it's become more about mental health for me after that big climb.

Q: And when we first started working together and you first decided to come on board the training, what specifically were you wanting to train for?

There was nothing really upcoming because we were in COVID lockdowns. I just thought, by the time lockdown ends, I want to be hiking fit so that when we can travel or even go further than 5Ks from home, I'll just be ready for anything. Do some overnight hikes, even get into running or trail running, multi-day hikes, all of that sort of thing. Up until then I'd just been the weekend hiker, go out for an hour or two and then be wrecked. There was no big goal. It was just ready for anything.

Q: And were there any particular issues or elements of fitness or any particular challenges that you were wanting to improve on?

The more I was walking around the neighbourhood and doing small hikes within my lockdown zone, I noticed I was having a lot of arch pain on both feet and occasionally a bit of ankle discomfort or instability. I think that was the main thing, because I hadn't really properly built up any strength before jumping into it. I just thought I can go out for hikes, do 15,000 steps, and not need to build any strength.

Q: And then tell us a little bit about the training you did through Summit Strength. What did your program and your training kind of look like?

It was a lot different to a lot of the gym programs I'd done in the past, which was really good but a bit of an adjustment at the start. I was so used to the narrative that you've got to be sweating a lot, got to be red in the face, everything's fast. With Summit Strength it was an adjustment period, but I've loved that it's more just slow, controlled exercises, a lot of focus on recovery and mobility. I've just loved that a lot of it's strength and progression focused, rather than busting a gut.

Q: And was there anything specifically different in there which you hadn't done before or tried before at all?

I'd never done any sort of ankle mobility. The knee-to-wall ankle mobility exercise, I'd never done that. A lot of the stretches I'd never done. I'd just go to the gym, lift all these weights, do all these crazy exercises and not have any sort of recovery. I liked that within the Summit Strength program the recovery was built into the program. Definitely the knee-to-wall, a lot of single leg exercises which I'd never done any sort of training on, and yeah, just controlled movements.

Q: And throughout the process and throughout the training, were there any particular roadblocks or challenges that you faced along the way? And if so, how did you go about overcoming them?

I think one of the main problems when I first started was that it was exactly the same time I started working full-time as a nurse. The challenges of finding time and committing to myself, dealing with night shift, tiredness, being on my feet all day, and then having to commit to focusing on the program and training. That was probably the main barrier at the start. Now I've found some techniques along the way. I know that if I don't do the strength in the morning, I won't do it. And also just being compassionate that sometimes it's life and I might miss a training session, and that's not going to set me back. This is a lifestyle now, and I've got a good routine going.

Q: And then any particular favourite exercises or favourite workouts that you did through the process?

I love all the single leg things because I'd never done them in the gym. At the start, it was such a shock just how weak my quads were, how weak my single legs were. Seeing the progression over time, I feel like that's the biggest thing. How it translates during hiking too. I feel like now I can step up higher, I can get up hills quicker, and all that stuff. The single leg workouts have just challenged my whole fitness. Also the single leg raised deadlift, because you just feel that everywhere. I just love that.

Q: Tell us a little bit about how your hiking and other exercising has changed after this training. Have you noticed differences in certain areas?

I live near the Dandenongs in Melbourne and there's one trail called the Fire Trail, which is just awful on the way up but amazing at the top. For years I've been doing that trail. Previously I would have had to stop a lot along the way, but now I just feel like my legs can pump up and it feels like everything's a lot quicker. I also have a lot more trust in my legs on the way down, because it's a lot of crumbly little rock that you can just slip out on. Now on the way down, I feel like I've got the stability and the quad strength that I can brace myself a bit better and I'm not as scared of falling. And also just going out with friends and not being super puffed. The program has also taught me a lot of compassion for myself. It doesn't matter if you're the slowest one or you're puffed out or your legs are sore. I'm just thinking, well, I'm doing it, I'm getting out there. You don't have to look a certain way or wear certain things to be a hiker.

Q: Moving forward, what is the sort of plan of attack for your hiking and your adventures and your training?

Next week I'm doing my first hike-in, camp, and hike-out. And then hopefully when international travel opens up, I'd love to do Base Camp. I'd love to go to Central America. I'd love to go to Yosemite. Just so many places. I feel so excited. I'll keep seeing videos of new trails and I'm not thinking, oh, that's going to take a year's worth of training to do. Now I'm just thinking, okay, if I spoke to Rowan, put in a little bit more work with some specific exercises for that terrain, I could give it a go. That's really exciting.

Q: Over the last week you ran into a little bit of a hiccup. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

On the weekend I decided to wear heels, which isn't something I normally wear, maybe once or twice a year, and I was on my feet for probably six or so hours. I had a lot of arch pain pretty much straight after. I thought, oh God, what have I done. I was a bit disheartened because that pain persisted for a few days. And as a nurse, you're on your feet constantly. I kept thinking I was getting overwhelmed because I couldn't avoid the pain even at work. But it's since settled. Everything's better. I'm doing the recovery and mobility and I've had a better outlook on it. It's been a nice lesson that maybe heels aren't for me all the time, but also that there will be little hiccups and you just trust in your body, and don't immediately jump to thinking you're back at step one or you've caused permanent damage. I'll be able to look back on this and think, okay, that sort of thing has happened before and I've gotten through it and my feet have held up and I can go on awesome hikes.

Q: Is there anything else you'd like to add, any other comments that you thought might be valuable for the listeners?

I don't know if this has anything to do with strength or injury prevention, but I think as a young woman with things like hiking or exercise, there's a lot of pressure on aesthetics. You need to look a certain way to even begin to be a hiker. You've got to have the right pack or the right shoes, or you've got to immediately be good at something. Those are normally the people we see on social media. You see the people who do it all the time and don't look puffed and don't look like they're in pain. But during all of this, the main thing has just been being kind to yourself and getting out there, giving it a go, because I think that holds a lot of women back. The comparison to other people, thinking you've already got to be good to even start, and that's just not true. With hiking, the mental health benefits are really what's pushing me out there now. Just being out in nature, seeing trees and birds, stopping when I want to stop, having a snack and keeping going. I'm just strong enough now to do that, and to benefit not just my body but my brain and my relationships.

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