FITNESS ON THE CAMINO

[wilkinsonsworld]

Hi everyone
I am planning to walk from Roncesvalles to Santiago in September/October 2011. I am busy reading all these informative topics and have a question for those who have gone before on The Way of St James. My question is this - do you get more fit as you walk along or do you get more tired? I've never walked this far in my life so have no point of reference in this regard.

Would love to hear from you.

Warm wishes
Jane

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Yes.

 

[sillydoll]

Hello Jane,
You will get fitter as you go.
The first week is the worst! Besides being unaccustomed to the backpack, the boots, the daily routine, sleeping in dorms with stangers, eating strange food, the language and so on, you need to take is slow the first week so that you don't hit the wall.
Don't accumulate mileage in your mind. Each day is a new day and a new distance. Every day you start fresh, from 0 and walk 15km, 20km or 25km.
You might arrive at an albergue absolutely pooped! But, you'll be amazed at quickly you recover after a hot shower and a short rest.
September is a lovely time to walk the camino.
un abrazo,
Sil

 

[RestlessRose]

Hola Jane

You do get fitter as you walk. 3 main things to aid the process are hydration, nutrition and rest. Drink plenty of water, this reduces fatigue. Tuck in with no guilt. You would have walked enough each day to justify all the calories. And get to bed when it is lights out at the albergue. Some days I may get to bed achy but I was always amazed how well I feel when I wake. A good 8 hrs sleep does wonders. Soon you will notice yourself getting leaner and you pace had quicken and the backpack does not feel as heavy.

Enjoy and Buen Camino

 

[Caminando]

What they said

 

[JohnnieWalker]

That's the beauty of the Camino Frances because of the frequency of the albergues- you can start at your own pace and walk comparatively short distances at first. Stamina soon builds and many pilgrims arruive earlier than they expected in Santiago because they have walked longer and faster than they would have imagined in the beginning.

 

[Domnall]

Hi
I agree with the general view that you will get fitter as you walk. I felt that I was very fit after walking about 100 km from Le Puy in September 2010. At 400 km I felt that I could walk forever. At 450 km I hurt my back and had to be airlifted home for an operation on my spine.
So a word of caution-listen to your body- I didnt- looking back there were signs that I was overdoing things and I was carrying too much weight in my backpack.

Ultreia
Donal

 

[Anna-Marie]

Hi Jane,

Weirdly, it's possible to get both more fit and more tired. At least, that was my experience. I walked from Le Puy, and after five weeks or so I didn't have any problems with walking up horrifically steep hills, but some days I was still really tired, even after a good night's sleep.

Of course, I also developed blisters after two blister-free weeks. These things are somewhat individual.

But whatever happens, you will definitely be more fit by the end. Even if you're wincing every time you walk up stairs.

Buen Camino!
Anna-Marie

 

[skilsaw]

Donal,
I hope you have the opportunity to return and pick up where you left off.
You will be older and wiser, and able to provide important advice to those who are struggling.
We can all learn from your experience.

Ultreia,
David, Victoria, Canada

 

[keithashaw]

Hi Jane,

I’m also walking the Camino de Santiago in September/October in 2011, starting from SJPdP. I think getting some basic walking fitness before setting off is wise. I walked the English Coast to Coast walk earlier this year and to get fit I started walking around the village where I live about a month beforehand. Just three miles to start with (about an hour and a quarter) every couple of days, but building up to eight miles twice a week in the last fortnight.

I wore my normal walking boots and carried my backpack to get accustomed to everything.

This really paid off and I didn’t have any difficulty at all with the walk, and no blisters. My walking companion didn’t do any preparation and suffered as a consequence. He found the distances (10 to15 miles) really hard to manage for the first week.

A couple of walking poles or a stout staff is also a big help.

Best wishes,
Keith

 

[Lydia Gillen]

Hi Jane, Yes you get fitter as you walk the Camino, but the first few days are the worst. There is an expresssion "walking into the Camino". it means to take it easy at first until you get into the rythem of things.. All the energy around you will be to get to Santiago as quickly as possible but if you can discipline yourself to take it easy at first it will serve you well. Those first two days coming down the pyrenees from Roncesvalles are difficult enough but are really lovely. There is a fantastic albergue in Huerte , a little off the Caminoo and before you come to Pamplona. Buen Camino Lydia

 

[+@^^]

i was walking fit when i started as Sevilla
but i hooked up with some veterans who were walking at speeds far greater than id trained at - 6 to 7 kmph
and despite having heard "walk your camino", i was the only first-time camino walker and tried to keep up with them
my attempts to keep up with them almost ended my camino

 

[Anniesantiago]

If you start SLOW and listen to your body and don't push yourself beyond your limits, you will recover quickly and get more fit each day. Each day you will be able to walk farther with less pain. As with any exercise program, the second day and the first week are the hardest...

That was my experience.

 

[gittiharre]

Echoed, I had a lot more problems on my first Camino than on subsequent ones and it was due to trying to keep up with other faster walkers, tying shoe laces too tightly and ending up with swelling and pain in feet, which spread up to shin.....too heavy a pack, not drinking enough water..too much red wine...... I learned my lessons and now it is easy, because I know what I need to do, even then I got shoulder problems last time, a shoulder injury was exacerbated by pack carrying and using poles. My legs and feet were perfect though! One should not underestimate the pressure one puts on one's body, if one goes from a more or less sedentary lifestyle to daily 20 km walking with pack and relatively poor sleep and an element of discomfort. The excitement of the experience more than compensates mind you. Just be vigilant and gently push your body forward, a bit of pain is part of the adjustment and just goes away over time, but some pains develop into problems that could prematurely end your camino. cheers, Gitti

 

[Debinq]

YEP - Keith, Sil and Restless Rose said all (above) that you need to be aware of as a first time walker 8)

bon camino

Peter

 

[sillydoll]

Jane, fitness is important but it won't help if you have the wrong footwear and backpack. These are the most important items for any long distance walk.
Train with the shoes or boots that you will use on the Camino. Test different socks. Walk long distances in your shoes - sometimes the feet only start to swell after 15km or 20km and then the hot-spots and blisters start.
If you are a small person, the weight you carry will be very important too. My backpack weighs 600gr empty and I try not to let it go over 6kg when full. Comfort and support is important but for me (5' 3" and 120 lbs) the weight is the most important thing. No matter how much weight is distributed to the hips, I still can't carry a 10kg or 12 kg pack for weeks on end.

 

[+@^^]

camino fitness is a v specialised fitness
a friend bailed after a week
she was distressed afterwards
she couldnt understand how she, a marathon runner, and super fit, could physically not cope
and worst, that some old codgers like me were relatively ok
.
it didnt cross her mind that for a marathon, she was on her feet for max 4 hours once a week, carrying zero additional weight on her back
.
these are 2 v different fitness propositions
so, as the manne on this show say - make as if youre on the camino in your training
simulate the actual conditions as far as possible

 

[wilkinsonsworld]

Thanks to all you wonderful folks who have replied to my question. I am astounded at the friendliness and helpfulness of everyone. I am making notes and will take into account all your suggestions.

I am in full training at the moment, with ten months to go, so hope that the effort I put in now will pay dividends on the walk. Can't wait!!!

Happy new year to you all!

Warm wishes
Jane

 

[+@^^]

the motto of a local trail running club
.
"Start slowly, then taper"
.
wise words indeed

 

[annakappa]

I read this on a Spanish Forum a couple of years ago:
The first part (say to Burgos) is to tame your body.
The second part (say to Astorga) is to tame your spirit
The third part is for the joy of your soul.
That said, my first 8 day "trial run Camino" (Roncevalles to Nàjera was a disaster: lots of blisters and heel pain) I had hardly done any training. My boots were wrong (too big, and men's ones at that - couldn't find suitable walking boots here in Costa Rica that year).
Back home, I purchased new boots and we returned the following year and walked from where we had left off, in Nàjera on to Santiago, without any problem. In fact, as one walked on, things seemed to get easier and easier.
The following year, we completed the Camino from Roncevalles to Santiago. No problem and that time my boots (this time women's and better fitting) were (horror of horrors) only 8 days old, as the ones from the year before, sort of disintergrated just when we on to the final count down. There was nothing for it but to buy new boots. They worked fine and last year when we did out "mini camino" from Ourense, they still behaved well, even although we walked each day in very wet weather and my boots, although supposed to be waterproof, did not keep the water out. I have never trained with my pack, which, on the Camino, I keep to 10% of my weight. I do however walk about 6 kms each morning over rough ground. Maybe this year I will try and get a new pair of boots, simply because of the waterproof factor. Anne

 

[camino-david]

Hi. By now you have loads of good advice, but no one mentions their age (although I see a few grey hairs on your respondants photos), which I think is important. I walked the Camino Frances last year from St Jean to Finisterre. I am 79, started training 6 months before, then had to stop for a couple of months because of sickness, and started again 6 weeks before departure, and shortly before departure from Australia walking with full pack for 25 kms for 3 sucessive days, so I thought I was prepared. The first day I walked 8km from St Jean to Orisson, then 17 to Ronsevalles, 22 to Zubiri, then 21 to Pamplona. The next day I only did 12 to Utterga, where I arrived utterly exhausted, convinced that if the albergue did not have a bed, I would collapse on the floor and refuse to get up until I got a bed. From there on I slowed down, but quickly built up again to 20 to 25 each day. The lesson was that I didn't listen to my body, and tried to follow John Brierley's stages in his book. I also learnt not to walk with other groups as their pace was invariably not mine, and in the evenings there is lots of socialising.
This Camino was amazing, and one of the best things I have ever done and I cannot wait to go back, either the Frances again or other routes, in September and October this year. It is a wonderful time to walk.
I would be interested to hear from other peregrinos of a similar age to mine and compare experiences. Buen Camino