walking day after day

[Kiwi-family]

I guess it's pretty obvious, but it just occurred to me today that we will be walking day after day after day! So far we have been doing a walk each weekend (usually limited to about 12km because of other commitments) and it's been easy-peasy. Today we did 16km and 6 year old said at the end of it, "That was my best walk ever. (pause) Because I didn't grizzle at all." Interestingly, she has only rarely complained, but she really did not fuss at all today; she just bounced along and at the halfway mark even asked to carry the 8yo's backpack (an effort which lasted about 100m!!!!).
BUT this evening everyone felt a bit tired. That extra 4km made a discernible difference (and we want to be doing even longer distances some days - and climbing mountains!!). I'm trying to imagine whether it gets easier to walk further each day or whether you just get sorer and sorer! The optimist in me says you end up easily walking 30km in a day. The realist suggests you slowly get worn down.

What's your experience?

 

[sulu]

I'm trying to imagine whether it gets easier to walk further each day or whether you just get sorer and sorer! The optimist in me says you end up easily walking 30km in a day. The realist suggests you slowly get worn down.

In my experience you start by getting sorer, the first 10 days are probably the worse, then it improves and you get into the swing. There are always days when it is a slog and you just have to put one foot in front of the other, and keep stopping for refreshment
The problem may be if different members of your group have slog days on different days, but this could work to your advantage and allow group support. I walked at the same time as a family who opted to use back pack transport when the children were tired, not sure whether you are planning to do this, just a thought.
Sue

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Everyone is different, but on the few days I have walked over 30 km in over 3,000 km of pilgrimages, I was completely miserable. I rarely do anything but 20 km +- 2 km. I will be very surprised if the young ones can do 30 km, particularly repeatedly. Back to back half-marathons are tough even on those in good condition. Doing more, in my opinion, risks injury and motivation damage. Buen camino!

 

[lullofish]

Day after day, you feel that your body is destroyed and it repairs itself.

 

[peregrino_tom]

When I did the Camino Frances a couple of years back, Logrono was the physical low point (which arrives after 7 days' walking, going by Brierley stages). I still remember lying in my bunk after the lights out dealing with the joint and muscle pain from my hips to my knees to my feet. Then after 2 hours it passed. The next day quite a few of our group decided to take the bus to Navarette and start from there. After that, things slowly got better and we were lifted in particular by a wonderful evening at Granon.
By the time we got to Galicia we were looking forward to staring mercilessly at the rookies who join at Sarria. We felt unimaginably toughened (having walked through december blizzards in the mountains) as if we were the sergeants (Barnes & Elias) in the movie 'Platoon'. As it turned out we were far too nice to actually be like that.

 

[annakappa]

Perhaps not all of you who have read this posting, realize that our friend kiwi -family will be walking with 8 kids, ages ranging between 6 and 16?? Plus Grandpa who is 80 - am I right?
Personally I think that you need to take things very slowly, especially for the first few days. Don't overdo it. There will be several days that you will be obliged to maybe walk 20 Kms, so reserve your strength and capabilities for these occasions.even towards the end, the path is a continual up and down and if the weather is too hot, that saps your energy. Anne

 

[Kiwi-family]

Yes annakappa, you are right. But fear not - we do not actually intend to do ANY 30km days!
We have heard the suggestions to not plan out day by day what we will do (and one of the attractions for me is the temporary release from schedules and expectations and so I am looking forward to just going as far as we can), but we did a little jotting-of-distances on paper. With the time frame we have (arrive Leon noon 7 September, fly out of Santiago late 30th Sep) we thought we might bus to Astorga and start our walk proper there, making it Santiago by the 25th then continue out to Finisterre. That would have necessitated nine days of walking more than 16km, some over 20km (which I realise is NOTHING to most of you!), but a 6 year old and our 80 year old are not exactly at the peak of physical fitness!
So last night I spread the walking out to shorten most days and we still have time to get to Santiago. It's important to me to not kill Grandpa (he's actually very fit - can ride 100miles on a bike, but he finds walking uses different muscles and is more strenuous for him) and we want the youngest kids especially to really enjoy the walk - we are hoping to walk the Iron Curtain Trail for our 30th wedding anniversary in eight years time and the youngest three would need to accompany us so they have to take good memories away from this walk! (We spent the first few years of our married life in Poalnd just as the curtain was coming down, so it seems a good place to return to! It's primarilly set up for cycling, 315 days of walking 25km a day six days a week will see you walk the whole trail)
So thanks again toe veryone for their input. I have put to bed the hope to make it to Finisterre (can save that for when we walk the entire Camino!) and will expect to slow down even further to make this a memorable time for all (and yes, Grandpa might take the odd bus!)

 

[vagabondette]

I think you should really make sure you're walking each day. Perhaps a family walk after dinner? Or half go during dinner prep and half go after? Whatever you do, I think just walking 1-2 days a week isn't going to cut it for training because walking every day *is* different. The biggest key will be to go slow and not stress about how much distance you need to cover. Don't push yourselves, don't feel bad if some of you need to bus it sometimes.

If you can, you might considering getting everyone a pedometer to wear each day so everyone can focus on walking more. Make it a competition to see who can walk the furthest each week or have the most improvement each week or something.

Good luck!

 

[Kiwi-family]

Thanks for that advice vagabondette. Most of us walk about 5km three or four times a week, plus the longer walk at the weekend, so we're not complete couch potatoes. Hubby cycles to and from work every day. Because we are in the middle of winter right now, we need to get out during the day - it's dark by the time dinner rolls round!
We did a three day hike in Thailand four years ago - of course, I carried the baby who was then two. The four year old managed to walk 15km for the first two days and then 20km the final day, including a couple of painful hours of climbing straight upwards. That day we had to cajole her along by the end - we sang every song we could think of, revised all the poetry and Bible verses we knew off by heart, kicked melons along the road for her to chase....and we made it, but she was shattered. When we first thought about doing the Camino we figured it couldn't be as hard as that, and the kids are so much older now.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

This may be what you have worked out. It should be within your groups' capability:
1) Sa, 8-Sep-2012 Astorga - El Ganso 13.2
2) Su, 9-Sep-2012 El Ganso - Foncebadón 12.5
3) Mo, 10-Sep-2012 Foncebadón - Riego de Ambrós 14.6
4) Tu, 11-Sep-2012 Riego de Ambrós - Ponferrada 12.6
5) We, 12-Sep-2012 Ponferrada - Pieros 17.2
6) Th, 13-Sep-2012 Pieros - Trabadelo 15.1
7) Fr, 14-Sep-2012 Trabadelo - La Faba 13.8
8 ) Sa, 15-Sep-2012 La Faba - Fonfría 16.7
9) Su, 16-Sep-2012 Fonfría - Samos 18.8
10) Mo, 17-Sep-2012 Samos - Sarria 14.7
11) Tu, 18-Sep-2012 Sarria - Mercadoiro 16.8
12) We, 19-Sep-2012 Mercadoiro - Ventas de Narón 18.9
13) Th, 20-Sep-2012 Ventas de Narón - San Xulian 15.1
14) Fr, 21-Sep-2012 San Xulian - Melide 11.1
15) Sa, 22-Sep-2012 Melide - Arzúa 14.3
16) Su, 23-Sep-2012 Arzúa - Rúa 17.8
17) Mo, 24-Sep-2012 Rúa - Monte del Gozo 16.3
18) Tu, 25-Sep-2012 Monte del Gozo - Santiago de Compostela 4.4

 

[Stephen Nicholls]

Hi Kiwi Family!
The schedule looks perfectly feasible. After the first few days the kids may be aching a little, but that should settle them into the camino.
There are buses along the route if there are really tough days, or if the weather and blisters play up - as I know only too well!
Fear not - go for it! And have a buen camino! It will be a wonderful and unforgettable experience for you all.

Stephen [also a grandad, but only 73!]
http://www.calig.co.uk/camino_de_santiago.htm

 

[rickster]

One thing that I learned from my recent Camino experience is the value of walking for at least a few weeks before you go with your pack fully loaded. My pack was new and I was unfamiliar with how I needed to adjust it for my frame and weight. Also, there is a big difference between walking with and without a backpack. The happiest pilgrims were the ones with the lightest backpacks. I did not take the pack weight recommendations from this forum seriously enough and paid for it early on.

 

[Kiwi-family]

Yes, we have been walking with packs fully loaded - when we take some clothes out to wear, we'll have a pleasant surprise!
However, after our 16km on Saturday (which left a couple of the middle-sized kids with tired legs or shoulders) I dragged everyone out yesterday for another 9.1km. But this time without packs. We flew round the (somewhat hilly) streets in well under two hours - and didn't need to take a break at all.
Really looking forward to the true walk!

 

[Deleted member 3000]

didn't need to take a break at all

My advice when on the camino: take a regular break whether you feel like you need one or not (a truly personal opinion).

 

[Kiwi-family]

didn't need to take a break at all

My advice when on the camino: take a regular break whether you feel like you need one or not (a truly personal opinion).

Although it may appear to the contrary, I actually agree with you completely! I'll let you in on a wee secret. That day when we took no break, I had significant resistance about even doing the walk. The older boys, who wanted to be flying their model planes that they had just finished, did NOT want to be walking. At all. So....knowing hat it was not a long walk and that we were not burdened by carrying packs, I opted for walking as fast as the slowest person could manage.
But on real walks I make a point of stopping everyone BEFORE they feel the need, because that seems to keep them all fresher than waiting until they are desperate. My eldest two (16 and 17 years who know it all) consider this to be a waste of time, but I call for stops anyway and figure one day they'll be as wise as me (heehee).

 

[Deleted member 3000]

My eldest two (16 and 17 years who know it all) consider this to be a waste of time, but I call for stops anyway and figure one day they'll be as wise as me (heehee).

Or as wise as a drill sergeant makes them! One of their jobs is to prove to each soldier that he can be broken regardless of his thoughts to the contrary. There is always someone who can walk you into the ground. Your eldest two may not be over-challenged by the camino, but they may find a lesson in the courage that others show as they struggle to complete the task at hand. Pass my buen camino to them, please.

 

[dougfitz]

A thought on walking as a group is to avoid being centrally controlled, and let the members set there own pace. A way that I have seen recently was based on having a leader and a sweeper. The group agrees on how long the leader for the day can walk before taking a break. An hour works for adults, but you might set a shorter time with children.
The sweeper then walks with the slowest walker. When a break is called, the leader must wat for the sweeper to arrive, but might leave immediately. The sweeper gives notice shortly before they will re-commence walking, when everyone has to get ready and go.
The group will straggle, but it would anyway, and everyone gets the minimum break instead of the slower walkers being rushed along by the faster ones.

 

[Kiwi-family]

Dougfitz, love the idea of putting a time limit on the walking. So far we have let kids walk ahead as far as they like until they get to road or river crossings and that has been the point at which we regroup. I can imagine it would give our oldest kids a feeling of independence to be able to go for an hour and not (as they currently do) watch their pace so that Grandpa does not feel he's holding us up. (I actually like that the kids are considerate of him, but also like the idea of letting them go). We are thinking of letting them tackle some of the alternative routes to give them the opportunity to meander alone - now you have added another idea for us. Thanks.

 

[Kitsambler]

Oh dear, now I have this image in my head of eight little Kiwis running in eight different directions and mother hen trying to round them all up at the end of the day. Not a pleasant thought.

What about trying one fast group and one slow group? The group stays together, there is some connection at designated intervals, and individual differences can be somewhat accommodated.

Having been one of the slow ones as dougfitz describes, I can attest that his method, which is quite popular, does result in an exhausted (and therefore slower) slow group. That second group never gets as much rest as the first, and the fatigue just accumulates.

 

[Kiwi-family]

Fear Not!
I'm thinking one group of older kids who have to stay together and the rest of us who will meet up with the others at the day's pre-decided destination.

 

[newjourney]

Aug 24th, 2012
I've neer done anything like before but feel the need to walk the St-James, and now planning for 2014 my 55 bday. Started to walk my treadmill every day for 1 hour and change the grades and speed througout the hour. This is great for lower body but what about the upper body with the backpack. Any suggestions to those who've walked before.
At the moment I'm planning this trip alone is this safe also.?

 

[dougfitz]

Started to walk my treadmill every day for 1 hour and change the grades and speed througout the hour. This is great for lower body but what about the upper body with the backpack. Any suggestions to those who've walked before.

Find a program that gets you out into the real world, and is geared at preparing you for multi-day walks as you get closer to your departure. While the Camino isn't particularly rough, preparing your ankles and knees for even moderately uneven surfaces cannot be done on a treadmill.

Consider getting yourself a pair of trekking poles and using these regularly. Used properly, they will tone your upper body. That said, a well fitted pack is largely carried on the hips, and not by the shoulders. If you do find yourself carrying the load on your shoulders, get someone who knows how to do the adjustments give you a hand.

Regards,

 

[Kitsambler]

Although basic cardio fitness is enormously helpful, it is not sufficient by itself. I heartily agree with Dougfitz about getting outside. While you're out in the fresh air, find yourself some hills! Hill-climbing and descending will use entirely different muscles from walking on the flat, and you will have an opportunity to assess how well your footwear is meeting your needs.

You might find the sort of interval-based workouts described here helpful: http://www.marathonwalking.com/schedule_half.html

And you might make use of that gym for some core strengthening and flexibility work, rather than the treadmill.

Now, if it's a matter of weather or unsafe walking areas that has driven you to use the treadmill, I respect that. Just recognize that there are much better modes of training.

 

[KiwiNomad06]

When I did the Camino Frances a couple of years back, Logrono was the physical low point (which arrives after 7 days' walking, going by Brierley stages). I still remember lying in my bunk after the lights out dealing with the joint and muscle pain from my hips to my knees to my feet.

I am not surprised it was Logrono. I just re-did part of the Camino Frances from Pamplona, and absolutely hated the entry into Logrono. The tarmac was so very hard, it felt almost as if they had designed it as a runway for airplanes. And the hard tarmac seemed to go on and on!!!

I agree with the ten day phenomenon. I think that after ten days, barring injury, your body becomes used to walking every day, and almost 'expects' to walk every day. But I also think there is a 'four kilometre rule' and have heard other pilgrims speak of it- "however far you plan to walk in a day, the last four kilometers are always the hardest"!
Margaret

 

[newjourney]

Thank you for the reply

I will start walking outside and gradually increase the distance and degree of difficulty. The winter in Ottawa, Canada makes it a little harder to walk outside the treadmill may be the tool to use.

I haven't even looked into the maps or weather and which time of year would be ideal for me to walk the Camino a real beginner, but very determined.

Thank you all
from Ottawa, Canada

 

[mspath]

Before beginning the camino each pilgrim whether young or old, first-timer or veteran might recall what earlier in April I wrote regarding the unfortunate impact of "too".

"Just because so many pilgrims have been successful does not guarantee that you will be.
Anybody any moment can fall or pull or break anything. The most common injury is the result of trying to walk too far too quickly carrying too much! "

Learn and respect your limits in order to successfully walk day after day!

Margaret