Does walking quickly mean that you're a bag snatcher???

HermanTheGerman

Active Member

Time of past OR future Camino

Frances '13, '14; Portuguese '13, '14, '17, '18; del Salvador '15; Primitivo '15; Mozarabe '16

• Aug 21, 2014

• #1

After each Camino, I've notice that my walking speed increases. It's something that just occurs instinctively without me being aware of my walking speed. Whether I'm walking out of a shop back to the car in the car park, or along the footpath en route to somewhere, I usually hit my average Camino speed of about 5km/h. It just happens without thinking as I find it nearly impossible to walk any slower; feeling almost as though I'm off-balance by spending so much time transferring the weight from one leg to the other.

The strange thing is that I've noticed that my walking pace has caused some people (the dawdlers) in urban areas, alarm or reason for concern. Old men in front of me stop completely and turn around in anticipation of a mugging, while women spot me in their peripheral vision as I approach quickly from behind and grasp their handbags tightly in anticipation of a snatch and run!

Has anyone else noticed this strange behaviour?

Buen Camino, the German.

 

Dutch

Straightforward

Time of past OR future Camino

SJPP-SdC sept '13
Porto-SdC May '14
SdC-Finis/Muxia May '14
SJPP-Finisterre sept '14
Pamplona-Burgos march '15
Porto - Sdc may '15
Camino salkantay june '15
SJPP - SdC aug/sept '15

Pacific Crest Trail april thru sept 2016

• Aug 21, 2014

• #2

Only on the camino i get strange comments about walking fast. Never in every day life back home.

 

Old Hillwalker

Active Member

Time of past OR future Camino

Del Norte 2022

• Aug 21, 2014

• #3

Same thing happened to me last September on the Camino Frances. My speed increased as my fitness grew. By the time I got into Galicia I was so pumped by the recollections of my trail running days in the 80s that I found myself jogging down the trail in places. And I was 74 years old and carrying a full pack. I lost 20 pounds on last year's Camino and have kept it off. But yes, I recall seeing the same reaction from those I passed while on my 5k/hr normal pace. This year I hope to slow it down a bit, and this year's Camino combinations will be around 1200 km. Also, this time I will be using hiking poles which tend to slow me down quite a bit.

 

J

jennie

Active Member

Time of past OR future Camino

from st jean - estella 2013 ponferrada-santiago 2012.hope/expect to do full camino with y
sister in sept 14. we completed our walk in 2014?puenta la reina to belarado june 2016,

• Aug 21, 2014

• #4

samoht.w said:

Same thing happened to me last September on the Camino Frances. My speed increased as my fitness grew. By the time I got into Galicia I was so pumped by the recollections of my trail running days in the 80s that I found myself jogging down the trail in places. And I was 74 years old and carrying a full pack. I lost 20 pounds on last year's Camino and have kept it off. But yes, I recall seeing the same reaction from those I passed while on my 5k/hr normal pace. This year I hope to slow it down a bit, and this year's Camino combinations will be around 1200 km. Also, this time I will be using hiking poles which tend to slow me down quite a bit.

Click to expand...

i think someone should sneak a few rocks into your bag to prevent you showing up the huffers n puffers honestly though i am really impressed,not saying you are old but you must be the envy of many being able to move like that !i am in my early 40s and would be left eating your dust .

 

Ekelund

Active Member

Donating Member

Time of past OR future Camino

“It’s your road, and yours alone. Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you.” Rumi

• Aug 21, 2014

• #5

samoht.w: the same thing also happened to me. In my daily life I run 50 - 70 km a week and I really enjoy it. The first week of walking the Portugese Camino I was exhausted, my back was hurting from carrying the backpack but slowly I got used to it and in the end of my second week I just had to try to jog. I did it when nobody was looking. And it felt good!
Herman the German: next time you have women looking anxiously in your direction or older men eyeing you in a nasty way, tell them to have a nice day and give them a big smile as you zoom by them.

 

Arn

Veteran Member

Donating Member

• Aug 22, 2014

• #6

I'm an old horse that spent the better (well, maybe not better)part of my middle years in the Marines. The standard force march pace is three miles an hour/4.8km with a seventy pound/32 kg pack.

Even when I am "leisurely" walking with no pack, hiking with a light/heavy pack...over a route without severe inclines/declines...I walk the same 3 miles/4.8 km.

And, yes, I have slowed down a bit as I've gotten older...But the horse still wants to push when possible.

 

Olivares

Veteran Member

Time of past OR future Camino

May 1997 (Leon to Santiago); Sections Camino Frances: May 2011, May 2012, May 2013, October 2013, June-July 2014 (Sahagun to Santiago).

• Aug 22, 2014

• #7

Obviously, you do not live in New York....

 

allisgroovey

New Member

Time of past OR future Camino

Leon to Santiago '11, Logroño to Leon '12, Porto to Santiago '14, Gubbio to Spoleto '17.

• Aug 22, 2014

• #8

I would just keep walking, smile a lot, and say "Hi how are you" and keep moving. Give them something to think about.