Countdown to the Camino , March 20 th.

1. John Hillaby said ‘treat your feet like a pair of newborn twin babies’ and
2. the French proverb ‘Time takes its revenge of what is done without it’ (or take it slowly).

“While we keep in basic nick throughout the year, we have always built up our feet, knees and back gradually over the three weeks immediately before a long walk. Now we are over 65, we spread the same preparations over four weeks, doing a little more each day.

We walk between half and one hour each morning before breakfast and intersperse that with two or three long walks in the final two weeks before we go. However, we believe the only way to fully harden up for a long walk is during the walk itself, so the first three to five days of the actual walk must be taken carefully.

After the first ten days of training wearing a pack that is half the weight of what we usually carry, we have started to harden up our bodies in preparation for the walk. We then do about a ten mile (15/18 kms) walk. Five or six days later (the next weekend) we do a fifteen mile (22/26 kms) walk.

Pre-departure training toughens the soles of the feet, the ankle, knee and hip joints and the muscles at the base of the back. This minimises excessive soreness in the first few days which can be a reason people attempting a long walk give up in those first few days.”

I found this advice,rather too late for me,on the Striders’Website.

However,I have been preparing by walks of variable length,over the last three months or more, but not in the above order!

Today, will be the first ,wearing my rucksack,with something like the equivalent weight,I shall hopefully carry, from Seville,in less than a month’s time.

I am restricting the packed weight to 10 KG.

The photo below , shows the somewhat messy bits of kit that have to be included in the final pack….

( Boots will be worn,of course )

I completed a 7 mile walk today, with 80% Rucksack weight,without any discomfort …really pleased.