jogging the camino

[tomgibbon]

Dear all
I am just starting to plan a trip for July 2011. I have about a week and thought that I might fly in to A Coruna or Santiago from UK, bus out to Sarria, then do from Sarria to Santiago over 3 days and then possibly on to Finisterra over a further 3 days.

I hope to jog 30KM or so each day and a friend assures me that there are plenty of taxis to transport my main bag and that I won't have to reserve hostals.

Does this seem like a reasonable plan? I'd be grateful for any ideas or feedback or a plausible itinerary. Has anyone jogged the trail before? I'd be really interested to hear about your experience? Are there villages with shops along the way to buy drinks/snacks etc? Is it a culturally interesting route? I imagine I will have much of the afternoon to recover/explore my destination points. What sort of budget do you recommend?

Un saludo cordial a todos
Tom

[Dutchy]

Hi Tom. I have just finished the Camino as a run/walk (22nd Oct). I started at St Jean and finished 15 days later in Santiago. I averaged 55kms a day and carried all my gear, but it was very lightweight about 6-6.5 kilos in my pack. I didn't book any accommodation as there is plenty. I always tried to stay in a hotel if possible but sometimes my only choice was an auberge. I liked to spread out in my own room have my own hot shower and wash my sweaty clothes as I only had one set.
Yes there are small supermkts/corner shops, some were closed for siesta which is a pain. I thought through what I needed as I approached the villages so I didn't waste time in the shops. I never went into any bars and there were plenty of them which were well used by the pilgrims. My days were very long because some days were 60 and 70kms so I didn't get time to do any exploring. My costs may have been higher for accommodation, but I took half the time. Also I wasn't buying beers and meals at the bars during the day, I only used the supermkts. I always had a great evening meal at the local bar/resturant where a 3 course meal plus wine or beer ranged from 10-12euros. Yes it is culturally interesting, but for me I was over seeing one old church after another. There are large sections that are quite dull as it runs next to the National highway for a long time and it is very flat and noisy. However these are great sections to run and get them over and done with. In the earlier sections there is lots of thick sticky mud that you can't avoid this slows you down.

Get back to me if you want anymore info.

[HuskyNerd]

Hi Tom ~
Welcome to the Forum. Your plan sounds very doable, though I wonder why you're thinking Sarria and the Camino Frances rather than El Ferrol and the Camino Ingles. Here's a link with some basic info on Camino Ingles via El Ferrol in case you haven't already scoped it out Ferrol to Pontedeume - The Camino Ingl .

If you do choose Sarria there's no reason why your plan won't work. In general, Galician towns seem newer and not as historic as towns in the other sections of Camino Frances. Still, there are some beautiful churches, and some great side trips to monasteries and historical sites along the way. Your goal of 30 km/day will put you at the same starting/ending points as many pilgrims who walk the same distance each day. This means you'll likely see familiar faces at the start/end of each day. Some like to use this Godesalco site for planning their itinerary:http://www.godesalco.com/plan/frances

There are many shops and stores between Sarria and Santiago, which is the most well-traveled stretch of any Camino. The terrain is basically small farms, with the occasional eucalyptus forest thrown in, punctuated by very small towns whose main attraction is a Camino bar/cafe. Accommodations are plentiful and food is cheap. If you stay in albergues you should plan 5-10E/day for accommodation, plus 20E for food, including the hearty Menu del Peregrino mentioned above.

Hope this helps. Buen camino!

[tomgibbon]

Dear Dutchy
Congrats on your achievement and thanks for replying. Your info is really helpful and makes me think I should aim to do a bit longer each day. What sort of base fitness did you have? I try to run 40 mins every morning with a longer one on Sunday. Will that be enough do you think or do i need to increase my mileage dramatically by the summer? I am not particularly interested in times or how fast I do it.
Best wishes
Tom

[tomgibbon]

Dear HuskyNerd
Many thanks for taking the trouble to reply. I do appreciate your help and advice. Those links look really interesting and I will certainly check them out.
Best wishes
Tom

[Dutchy]

Hi Tom,
I'm into the ultra running scene in Australia. I have been in a fair number of 100km and 100mile trail events this year. Just before the Camino I had just completed a month in the Alps on many of the famous routes so felt pretty fit. The hills on the Camino were nothing like I had encountered in the Alps. Even though I had a good base I still found the going tough and developed something like a stress fracture which almost crippled me for a few days. I kept moving on it and it gradually came right itself. I dropped down to a fast walk/shuffle run towards the end. It is tough to get up early every morning and keep going well after everyone else has finished and they are sipping beer in the warm evening sun. So it's as much a head space/ mental thing as a strength and endurance.
Saying all that you are probably younger and stronger than me so you'll probably be absolutley fine on what you are doing. Please don't let my background put you off. If you are not doing the full 780km then you'll be fine doing 50km a day for 7days.

Best wishes,
Dutchy

[Rayc]

Hi Dutchy
Congrats on a terrific journey ! --and thankyou for the posts in reply to Tom.
I am a Kiwi of 65 years and booked to run the New York Marathon on Nov 6th.
I thought i would run /walk the 780 km Camino in September as part of my training.
My partner says i am mad--your thread is just the sort of support i need.
Like you I figured aroung 6kg on my back would be max. Did you use a particular brand of light-weight Pack ?
Also could you give an indication of average hotel costs ? And did you cellphone ahead to book ?
-I am on a tight budget but like you i will often need my own space to wash clothes and blob out.
Was thinking of 4 weeks rather than 3 .Need to avoid stress fractures .!
Like the idea of using the longer flat highway sections to time-trial my progress.
Again--amazing achievment-more so having just run a month in the Alps .
Regards Ray

[Dutchy]

Hi Ray,
I think if your main focus is the NY marathon then it isn't good training for it although you get the endurance. I had one major event in Aus I was training for in Nov and I felt trashed and injured for it and thought I would have to pull out. I gave myself 3 weeks rest on my return and managed it, just about. I have found that you loose any speed you may have had doing the EC as it becomes a fast shuffle in the end.
I didn't book ahead for accommodation as there was plenty but the hotels were quite expensive ranging from 40-55e. Often you felt too tired to search for a better deal. Most people really rate the hostels and found them fantastic, perhaps I should have used them more, they are really cheap 3-10e.
My pack was an ultra light type it weighed 300g empty and had no real backpadding/support but I didn't need any as it was so light. All the contents were inside a bin liner in the pack and I also had a rain cover to put over the pack as it wasn't very waterproof.

Enjoy the EC for what it is and let the NY marathon take care of itself later.
My email is c.holland777@gmail.com contact me and I'll send some photos and give you more details.
Best wishes,
Dutchy