Fitness!

[adelphi]

I have had the plan to walk the entire camino for over 6 months now...but have been a wee bit slack with my fitness regime. I have a pretty good general fitness....and I began in earnest last week and tripped in the dark jogging (or attempting to!) and have sprained my ankle pretty badly....I will be able to walk well by the time I start in Oct but certainly am behind in my pre camino training...has anyone out there walked it without a grueling pre fitness regime? I don't want to put travel off given I have organised 2 mths off work which is pretty difficult and am travelling from Australia. Any feedback is much appreciated.

[fraluchi]

A few years ago my wife sprained her ankle pretty badly just 2 weeks before undertaking the Camino Francés from Roncesvalles onwards. She saw a physician who gave a bandage and prescribed rest.
She took it easy for 10 days and then managed to walk around the area (Italian Alps), careful not to strain anything.
We started in Roncesvalles, taking care of where and how we placed our feet, and actually managed very well.
We were on a pilgrimage, not a competition!
Last year we "re-did" the pilgrimage from Roncesvalles to Santiago de Compostela: just under 800 km in 37 days.
My wife is 68 and I am 72, and we walk every day between 6 and 10 km here in Costa Rica. It's hilly, the tracks are unpaved (so you must watch where you walk), the altitude is 1'100 meters and higher. We don't run, nor visit a gym or do any special "work-out": we just do a steady hike - every day without exception.
During the last few days before our pilgrimage we usually walk approx. 10 km with our backpack, hers weighing 6 kg, mine 7kg (weight control is very important !) Our walking boots are strong but comfortable and well worn-in.
Since we also have an important jet-lag from Costa Rica to our starting point in Spain, we always take care to rest as much as possible whilst traveling (8 hours time difference, 10 hours flight, 5 hours bus) to not over-eat and take sufficient liquid (minimum alcohol). After a good night's sleep from the start we have always been able to complete the pilgrimage days without physical problems.
This coming September - October we'll be on our 4th Camino and try the Camino Sanabrés, after a stretch of the Francés from León to Ponferrada, and we trust that the journey will again be worth its while.
On Youtube we posted a short "Santiago de Compostela - Memories of a Great Road" with one of our experiences. Enjoy!

[Covey]

Last year at the age of 61 I set off from St Jean without any training at all. I just packed my pack and got on an airplane. I had worn my boots the previous three years on the Camino Frances, so they were well broken in.

The first day from St Jean to Roncesvalles is the hardest day of the Camino Frances and I set off at dawn and rolled into Roncesvalles at 6pm having taken it gently. I was sore in places but had come to no harm. If you have been unable to train, then just take the first week very gently. It is not a race and there are no prizes for coming first!!

Probably the hardest thing to contemplate is the fact that you are going to be walking virtually every day for 4-6 weeks! One way of coping is to split the journey in to stages. Promise yourself a really nice meal when you arrive in Pamplona. Then a day off in a small hotel in Burgos, then 2 days off in Leon etc etc. It is easier to aim for short term goals which are going to be 4-5 days ahead, rather than "when I get to Santiago" in 36 days time!

Have fun and enjoy yourself.

[adelphi]

Thankyou Covey, sounds words and very encouraging! Fraluchi you and your wife put me to shame! thankyou both for your feedback. I intend to take my time and of course I am completing this, not racing and I fortunately have time to take a day (or so off) at various stages...so THANKYOU...