Aiming for a record

[Deleted member 3000]

http://articles.wdbj7.com/2011-02-18/ly ... r_28611368

http://jennyjourney.wordpress.com/2011/ ... mountains/

 

[Arn]

Jenny has plenty of steep hills in the Lynchburg area and should have no problem making her goal. It's a good cause though she'll miss much of the beauty of the Camino. Once you're "in the zone" it's just miles upon miles. Best of luck!

That said, the Camino has a Way of making your journey fit its plan not necessarily yours.

Arn

 

[Anna-Marie]

I interviewed her a few weeks ago. She talked about how she feels like a pilgrim--and hopes to go back as a walker someday.

http://www.pilgrimroads.com/2011/02/running-the-camino/

 

[Anna-Marie]

She did it! Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Santiago in 9 days, 5 hours and 29 minutes.

http://jennyjourney.wordpress.com/2011/03/07/she-did-it/

 

[dutchpilgrim]

And isn't that a sad day for the Camino?
Why the hurry?
Why the record?
This has nothing to do with the spirit of the Camino.

Ultreya,
Carli Di Bortolo

 

[renegadepilgrim]

And why the judgement? When I was walking last year there was some kind of military group running the Camino. I don't see what the big deal is.

 

[newfydog]

Sad day on the Camino? Not to me. I guess everyone is entitled to do it their own way. Tolerance of all sorts of different approaches is a key to my definition of the "spirit of the Camino". Perhaps you can't see it that way, and that is the only thing I find sad about the event.

Think of it this way----do really think it possible to run the Camino in ten days, and not have it be a bit of a spirtual experience? Not be moved by all those who came before?

 

[lynnejohn]

Live and let live.

 

[andy.d]

will today's reduction in the Spanish speed limit effect future record attempts?

 

[Anna-Marie]

She was looking for a running challenge, wanted to raise money for a good cause, and, like so many others, felt the pull of the Camino. Nothing wrong with that.

Here's what she told me before she left:

I absolutely see myself as a pilgrim on this journey. Some might say, “Well, you are not slowing down and really having the experience of meeting the people.” I can answer that by saying, “True; and someday I will return and take my time on the Camino. But this pilgrimage is about speed and spending some long tough days on my own putting one foot in front of the other—day after day until I reach Santiago.”

I will have to dig deep into myself and my faith as I endure some hard days. In the end, I will be a different person. This experience will change me.

 

[LTfit]

I am constantly surprised how jugemental we "pelegrinos" can be!

Did anyone make negative comments when Priest Amado ran the Camino barefoot last summer? Was it because he was a priest?

Though disappointing and at times sad, one will get comments no matter HOW you walk/run the camino.

 

[RENSHAW]

Any difference beween Jenny and the thousands of pilgrims cycling the Camino - Why the fuss?? :mrgreen:

 

[Deleted member 3000]

The factor I pondered when I read about Jenny's plan was bringing competitiveness to the Camino. I played my sons' games of "look at me" for many years. We both enjoyed it, but I was glad when that phase was over. Some people never outgrow it. They become professional athletes, performers, and writers. Some become Forum posters, and often cast the first stone.

Competitiveness put Man at the top of the food chain (the polar bear might dispute that), so it must have importance in The Plan. However, an important thread in the words of Jesus was that cooperation is much more important than competition. Economists agree that cooperation was the most important factor in economic development, and many of the studies on maximizing overall benefits emphasize that reaching the win-win box in the matrix requires cooperation, not competition.

Each of us uses some sort of competition to finish a Camino, even if it is as basic as repeating that you only need to take one more step. The majority of pilgrims complete it in relative obscurity; no charity, no announcements beyond telling friends, no interviews, no press conferences, no records.

I never became interested in golf. Early on, I observed that all golfers feel compelled to bet on the game. I asked myself, "Why would anyone be interested in playing a game that was so inherently dull that they had to add the thrill of wagering to make it interesting?"

I cannot do what Jenny did. If I could do it, would I? Is walking the Camino so trivial that I would need to do it in a series of ultra-marathons for it to be worthwhile to me?

When you think that reality TV may have trivialized reality itself, or that we have begun to trivialize religion, remember that there probably is a Guinness Book of Records entry for saying the most rosaries in a 24-hour period.

 

[Arn]

Hi folks...your friendly Mod here...

I think we've touched on many of the positions of members both pro and con.

That said, when we inject our own world view into the equation, we run the risk of going off topic, at best, and smothering further conversation, at worst.

Saludos,

Arn

 

[newfydog]

Any difference beween Jenny and the thousands of pilgrims cycling the Camino - Why the fuss?? :mrgreen:

Yes--she went faster than I did on a bike!

 

[Caminando]

Hi folks...your friendly Mod here...

I think we've touched on many of the positions of members both pro and con.

That said, when we inject our own world view into the equation, we run the risk of going off topic, at best, and smothering further conversation, at worst.

Saludos,

Arn

Hi Arn

I'm slightly at a loss to catch your meaning here.

How can members avoid "injecting our world view" into any discussion? That's what forums are for, surely? People express differing views, which is entirely healthy, and essential if it is really a forum. Differing views encourage "further conversation" - I hope you agree? I for one want to hear what people think of this topic - for it goes to the heart of what pilgrimage is about. You yourself have expressed a view above, so I find your last post hard to understand.

The topic here is a reasonable one, where people express a view for or against running a camino. Surely it's OK to give an opinion? There are of course a few who cannot bear different opinions from theirs, but the forum would be a dull place if that were the norm. It was a pity to see posts which implied that those against a competitive camino also wished to stop such an event, but at no time did anyone suggest this.

I think it's important to ask if the site is simply for passing on factual information?
Or is it also a forum for sharing views?

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Good article.

http://www2.newsadvance.com/sports/2011 ... ar-889848/

 

[BHfmSanDiego]

When I first started to read this thread and felt something just seemed offputting and could feel the discord, it took me awhile but I finally realized I was staring right at it. I feel what is causing the debate of this endeavor is in the title of the thread. Doing the Camino for altrusitic reasons is great, but to turn it into some type of competition can be upsetting to those who have traveled it, a journey of discovery, about oneself and life. Granted everyone goes to the Camino for their own personal reasons, and that is fine, but one should also recognize the historical and cultural significance. By "Aiming for a Record" the Camino is trivialized and made it into something it is not, that is, simply a trail to be run to set some type of record. And I'll be honest, the reason behind this, that is to make everyone aware of the International Rescue Committee, is lost because the "Aiming for a Record" stands out more in the story, little is mentioned of this organization but quite a bit is devoted to record setting aspect. If this was done with the record setting aspect left out, simply run the Camino, it would be less bothersome, many from my understanding have done this, but please leave the competition at home.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

The superiority of cooperation over competition:

Early human groups, according to the new view, would have been more cooperative and willing to learn from one another than the chimpanzees from which human ancestors split about five million years ago. The advantages of cooperation and social learning then propelled the incipient human groups along a different evolutionary path.

The whole article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/11/science/11kin.html

Apologies for bringing science into the debate. It does not always contradict some traditional religious interpretations.

 

[markss]

Whatever the motivation for the Camino, most of us got a sense of achievement as it related to our physical ability to have had completed it. Not using a timeframe to measure our performance, instead we generally used distance, saying to ourselves, “I did it, I actually walked x numbers of kilometers”. While this may not have been our primary focus at the outset, nevertheless didn’t we all feel that sense of personal accomplishment?!!

One experienced in long distance running does not necessarily measure their own accomplishment in the same manner. Internal to them is a “so-whatness” in walking long distances, as it is not the same physical challenge as for others. Why not add an element, i.e. a time goal, so as to provide the ability for enhancing the level of satisfaction appropriate to them in the endeavor.

Does that diminish their accomplishment or purpose? Does it make them any less noble then the rest of us doing the Camino? So they may not develop much of a social network along the way; does walking with other people always trump the benefits inherent in quiet solitude? Many runners have experienced that with a fast pace, contrary to what some might believe, endorphins kick in which greatly enhance awareness of the surroundings and make the roses all the more fragrant.

Has one who utilized a measuring mechanism or set as a purpose something different than my own somehow shortchanged their Camino experience because they didn’t do it “my way”?

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Follow-up article:

http://www2.nelsoncountytimes.com/sport ... ar-908450/

 

[Cowboy]

In response to markss' post, my view is that some people may well shortchange themselves by walking "against the clock" so to speak. I say this based on my own experience. When I walked in 2008, I set myself a certain target for the average number of kilometres I would have to do daily in order to finish in time for my prebooked flight home. The result was that I was pushing myself too hard and developed trouble with my feet as a result. More importantly I felt rushed and could not enjoy the camino to the extent I was hoping for (will I get there on time?!). All this while I was feeling "proud" of how fast I was walking (I even overtook some guys on bicycles several times amongst the hills on a windy day!) and how many km I was covering on some days. So I guess it depends on what one hopes to get from the camino. I plan to walk the camino again this year and this time round I am determined not to set targets in terms of daily distances but will instead walk at a relaxed pace and focus on enjoying the moment.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Jenny's words from her blog:

One thing I wanted to clarify in case there is any confusion: This was a speed record attempt.