I should tell you first that I have always been a walker; this trek on the St. James Trail will not be my first. There's just so much to see in this big ole world and, as A.E. Houseman said, "...to look at things in bloom, fifty springs are little room." So, I have roamed as much as I could and am oh so eager to go again.
With 45 days remaining till departure, I am in Day 5 of preparing and have just laid out a walking program. If you have been a boy scout, you will recognize at least part of it.
Walking is sometimes easy and sometimes not, but it always pays to be prepared. I walked 28 miles my first day on the Morman Trail, and it almost killed me because I had only prepared for 14. By the time we finally stopped for the night in Casper, Wyoming, I could barely catch up with a piece of litter drifting by on the breeze. I needed help to put up my tent -- no, well, let's be honest -- somebody pretty much put up my tent for me and all I did was crawl in and pass out; but I walked 14 miles the next day, stayed on to the end, and cried like a baby when it was over. So all's well that ends well, but I wouldn't recommend the experience: it pays to be prepared.
Since developing arthritis five years, I have become sedentary. I do still walk from time to time, usually three or four miles, sometimes five, and usually at about 3 1/2 miles per hour. At that rate, I'll have to walk 4 to 5 hours a day for 32 days to finish the St. James Trail by Good Friday. And that's how I approach this walk: it's not the miles that matter as much as the time; if I can put in the 5 hours, the 15 miles will take care of itself.
I try to walk almost every day. I walk until I begin to feel tired and then I turn back to where I began. If that wears me out, especially if I feel it in my shins or my shoulders, I take a day or two off. When the discomfort has subsided, I walk again, less distance or more, it doesn't matter -- whatever feels right. I don't set goals or watch the clock. I don't tell myself, "Okay, today you'll walk 5 miles." Because as long as I don't hurt myself or make myself hate it, I will do it again, and each time, I will just naturally go farther than before.
This is not to say that I don't care how far I go, because I do. In fact I am thoroughly obsessive about the distance. I clock all my walking routes and I know exactly how long they are and mileposts along the way. It's just that I don't push myself. When I have walked as far as I want, I take a look around to see where I am and then I turn around and head for home. That's all there is to it.
So here's how the training has gone so far. Day One, I spent driving my route and noting the distances along the way. I know the 1, 1 1/2, and 2 1/2-mile marks (twice that makes a round trip). And that's all I need because on the trail I plan to walk in 2-hour increments of about 6 to 7 miles at a time. So, when I can walk my route twice in a day, comfortably, without shin splints, leg cramps, pulled muscles, or exhaustion, I'll be ready to go. Well, except for one thing. Right now I'm walking on level ground, but before I go, I'll have to add hills.
When the 5-mile loop is comfortable, I'll add two last miles, which go down a hill. I haven't driven them yet or marked the mileposts, but I will. Right now, I have enough to think about with just the flat land, and I am not going to worry about that stupid hill. When the time comes, it will still be there. But I know I have to climb it before I leave.
And one more thing, too. At least once before my departure, I want to walk in the mountains, 12 to 15 miles at 3,400 feet, which is what it will take to cross the Pyrenees. I hope it will be cold and miserable. That way the Pyrenees won't be too much of a surprise, and my biggest worry there will be finding the signposts in the fog rather than coping with the ascent, the distance, or the temperature. So, that was Day One, working out the route and the distances and the hill -- and making the plan.
Day Two, I walked. I intended to do three miles but wound up walking four. It isn't my legs I have to watch out for, it's my shoulders because of the arthritis, and the four miles left a mark. So for the following two days, until I felt perfectly normal, I stayed home. Today is Day 5. I am feeling quite swell, so I will go again.
With 45 days remaining till departure, I am in Day 5 of preparing and have just laid out a walking program. If you have been a boy scout, you will recognize at least part of it.
Walking is sometimes easy and sometimes not, but it always pays to be prepared. I walked 28 miles my first day on the Morman Trail, and it almost killed me because I had only prepared for 14. By the time we finally stopped for the night in Casper, Wyoming, I could barely catch up with a piece of litter drifting by on the breeze. I needed help to put up my tent -- no, well, let's be honest -- somebody pretty much put up my tent for me and all I did was crawl in and pass out; but I walked 14 miles the next day, stayed on to the end, and cried like a baby when it was over. So all's well that ends well, but I wouldn't recommend the experience: it pays to be prepared.
Since developing arthritis five years, I have become sedentary. I do still walk from time to time, usually three or four miles, sometimes five, and usually at about 3 1/2 miles per hour. At that rate, I'll have to walk 4 to 5 hours a day for 32 days to finish the St. James Trail by Good Friday. And that's how I approach this walk: it's not the miles that matter as much as the time; if I can put in the 5 hours, the 15 miles will take care of itself.
I try to walk almost every day. I walk until I begin to feel tired and then I turn back to where I began. If that wears me out, especially if I feel it in my shins or my shoulders, I take a day or two off. When the discomfort has subsided, I walk again, less distance or more, it doesn't matter -- whatever feels right. I don't set goals or watch the clock. I don't tell myself, "Okay, today you'll walk 5 miles." Because as long as I don't hurt myself or make myself hate it, I will do it again, and each time, I will just naturally go farther than before.
This is not to say that I don't care how far I go, because I do. In fact I am thoroughly obsessive about the distance. I clock all my walking routes and I know exactly how long they are and mileposts along the way. It's just that I don't push myself. When I have walked as far as I want, I take a look around to see where I am and then I turn around and head for home. That's all there is to it.
So here's how the training has gone so far. Day One, I spent driving my route and noting the distances along the way. I know the 1, 1 1/2, and 2 1/2-mile marks (twice that makes a round trip). And that's all I need because on the trail I plan to walk in 2-hour increments of about 6 to 7 miles at a time. So, when I can walk my route twice in a day, comfortably, without shin splints, leg cramps, pulled muscles, or exhaustion, I'll be ready to go. Well, except for one thing. Right now I'm walking on level ground, but before I go, I'll have to add hills.
When the 5-mile loop is comfortable, I'll add two last miles, which go down a hill. I haven't driven them yet or marked the mileposts, but I will. Right now, I have enough to think about with just the flat land, and I am not going to worry about that stupid hill. When the time comes, it will still be there. But I know I have to climb it before I leave.
And one more thing, too. At least once before my departure, I want to walk in the mountains, 12 to 15 miles at 3,400 feet, which is what it will take to cross the Pyrenees. I hope it will be cold and miserable. That way the Pyrenees won't be too much of a surprise, and my biggest worry there will be finding the signposts in the fog rather than coping with the ascent, the distance, or the temperature. So, that was Day One, working out the route and the distances and the hill -- and making the plan.
Day Two, I walked. I intended to do three miles but wound up walking four. It isn't my legs I have to watch out for, it's my shoulders because of the arthritis, and the four miles left a mark. So for the following two days, until I felt perfectly normal, I stayed home. Today is Day 5. I am feeling quite swell, so I will go again.
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