We’ve been busy training for our Camino de Santiago trip. Every morning (almost), we get up, grab breakfast, coffee and tea and head out into our neighborhood carrying our full Camino packs and gear. The shakedowns are mostly done at this point, but conditioning is still needed for for the 562 miles (900km) to come. At this point, though, we are both bored out of our minds! The same routes, the same streets, the same sidewalks and paths. We’re over it!
Earlier this week, I told Kara I am ready for these walks to “count”. I want to be on the actual trail making actual progress toward Santiago rather than waiting for our tracking app to tell us we’ve hit our mileage goal for the day. I want to be practicing my Spanish with albergue hosts and restaurant staff. I just want to start already. We’re in the dog days of summer and training is all we can do. Our plane doesn’t leave for a few more weeks, so we keep walking and walking and walking. We’re gutting it out, but every day is “leg day” and it it has stopped being fun.
We are as ready as we can be at this point. We know the Pyrenees mountains the first couple days will kick our butts. But in glacier-flattened Indiana, the only hill training we can do is a set of stairs near an overpass by our house (we desperately miss the mountains of California). We plan to take it slow over the Pyrenees. There’s no need to go too fast too soon. Our plan is to push through the first two days and ask our bodies for forgiveness later.
We’re less than a month away from our start date. It can’t come soon enough.
Each day you train will certainly help when you when your walks do count! I’m looking forward to pictures and reading more about your crusade!
Love to see your gear list; and what works, what doesn’t, and what you missed.
You’ve done more than enough. You’re ready to go and it’s going to be EPIC. Do take your time. Don’t focus on your destination….you’ll get there each day if you take care of yourselves, enjoy your surroundings and keep walking. Slower is better….I promise!
Thank you so much! I don’t think I have any other speed when hiking.