Naomi overcomes knee and back issues to hike again!

I originally found my way to Sensible Fitness in late January of this year with a goal of backpacking with less (or no!) knee pain, in addition to increasing general strength and fitness. Last year, I completed the Sheltowee Trace Hiker Challenge, in which we backpack/hike the entire 340-ish mile trail in Kentucky across a year, doing one section per month. I did it as part of a 3-day team, with my knee complaining loudly most of the way.

This year, I joined the challenge again, but have had back spams that kept me from hiking two sections. A reactive back provided an extra layer of challenge for the Sensible Fitness trainers - keep working on my strength and mobility, while trying not to provoke my back. I have been so impressed with their knowledge and willingness to modify activities to meet my body where it is on any given day.

This month, my hiking team, which usually does our section in three days, joined one of the two-day teams to hike our 31 miles in two days. I was not sure how that would go for me, as I had *never* before hiked that many miles in two back-to-back days. I am super pleased to report that I did it, with minimal knee pain, and no back pain! I noticed that this section wasn't nearly as difficult as it was last year. Pretty sure the trail didn't change much, so it must have been me.  :)  I have so much gratitude for the team who have worked with me so thoughtfully these three months and I can't wait to reach my goal of backpacking completely pain-free!

Naomi Goertz