Adelaide woman, 56, preparing for the Camino April/May 2008

[cbarua]

Hi! My name is Clarisa and I have decided that my major goal at this time is do the Camino in April/May 2008. As I am not very fit, must quit smoking, and lose some weight, I have decided that this is something I must do. This is the hardest goal I have ever set myself and I know that once I accomplish it, I can do ANYTHING! I live in Belair and I am reducing my working hours at the end of term, from 5 Oct 07, so that I can prepare for this very exciting and challenging journey!. If there is anyone out there thinking similar thoughts, I would be happy to meet you. Perhaps we can encourage each other and share those thoughts.

 

[Lillian Rodriguez]

Hi Clarissa,

Congratulations on your decision to do the camino next spring.

One thing: don't worry about your age, you'll see much older people along the way. But DO prepare physically, to take you over hard climbs & descents and you do need to be able to walk long distances. The physical preparation will help you lose some weight and improve your breathing capacity as well. That plus a very strong daily dose of RPM (Really Positive Mentalization), you WILL be able to accomplish your goal. At the end you'll feel great!

By the way I'm 63, had some osteoporosis related fractures in the spine and was able to walk the Camino Frances April/May this year from Roncesvalles to Santiago. In the process I lost 8 lbs and have never felt better in my life!! So much so that I may be going back next year!

Well, your camino has just started... Buen camino peregrina :arrow:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=RseWnuxcZWs

 

[Pablo2007]

Hi Clarisa,
Pablo in Sydney here, I'll be walking late this month and October. My wife and I were in France last year and met an Australian fellow who was walking to Santiago prom Le Puy in France, he said something very interesting, when asked about difficulties and setbacks etc (we all have our issues), he said "for every reason that most people can come up with to convince themselves NOT to walk or that it would be too difficult, there is someone walking with that same issue every day", anyway started me thinking and here I am 12 months later about to embark on my own journey.

Good luck to you.

Pablo

 

[cbarua]

Que lindo, 2 respuestas en un dia! Gracias Lillian. I am so happy I made the camino my goal and its wonderful that all who will be wallking and those who have been, can communicate. The support in this forum is amazing and it only makes me more determined.

Clarisa (de Peru pero en Adelaide!)

 

[cbarua]

Gracias Pablo, I will dwell on that!

Clarisa

 

[cbarua]

And Pablo, I will be looking out for your messages. Have a great Camino with your wife.

Clarisa

 

[Pablo2007]

No,,, my wife isn't going ... She is one of the people with issues Laugh Nah only kidding various circumstances as such that I will be on my own, perhaps next year we can both go.

Pablo

 

[Arlene]

Hi Clarisa,

Like you I plan on beginning my camino in April of 08. I'm 45 and an x-smoker(so I understand how hard quitting can be). I wish you the best with it and I'm sure that a walking routine will help, at least it did for me. As for the camino, I've never done anything like this before and I'm very excited and a little bit nervous about it. This forum is great for getting useful information and support. Good luck to you as you prepare and maybe I'll see you on the path.

Arlene

 

[Dale]

I'm planning to walk the Camino next April and May, I will be almost 58 then, birthday in April. Perhaps we will meet along the way. If not I hope you have a great Camino and good luck with your planning. I'm in the process of buying my lite equipment right now and getting my boots broken in and getting used to walking with a backpack.

 

[cbarua]

Thank you Dale and Arlene,
It is wonderful that we can already begin to share such a wonderful journey. I haven't started training yet as I have 4 more weeks before I complete a term at my language school ( I teach English to refugees and immigrants ), so I will start my physical training after the 5th of October. I'm afraid my job takes up most of my time, I love it mind you, but for the moment I feel that having made the decision to do this journey is one of the most important in my life. My journey, I feel has already begun, as I face some difficult times in the next few months before 2008! I promise myself that I will keep in touch with this wonderful website to remind me when things get difficult to stay on the Camino. Dale, I had a peek at your website. You have some fantastic photo collections. I am sure we will meet on the Camino, although I rather think you may get ahead of me, with all that training you have begun to do. Hope I can catch up with you! Now if you happen to need a Spanish translator, I'm the one, so you may have to wait! 8) til I do catch up.

 

[cbarua]

And Arlene, yes the smoking will be the hardest, hopefully the walking will quickly replace it. :?

 

[Dale]

Thanks Clarisa . By the way I love your name it reminds me of the "Two Fat Ladies" did you ever see that English cookerie program, two wonderful English ladies who were fantastic cooks. Alas Clarisa died and that was the end of that. Enough I digress, I really could use your translation service, at the moment I don't speak Spanish at all. English is my first language and I speak French as a second language. (At least I used to but it is getting rusty.) I'm just about to start a discussion thread here to get advice on the best home study program so I can at least learn some basic Spanish before spring. As a language teacher your opinion will be most welcome.

Dale

 

[Sumachado]

Hello Clarissa, I am hapy to notice there are people like me planning to go to Santiago. I am also 56, leaving from Rio de janeiro, Brasil, in the end of may 2008. My name is Sulamita and I am going by myself fighting all the people that say that I am crazy and should not go alone, it's too much, it's too far, etc.. I ignore everything and focus in my training: I walk everyday 8Km by the beach, under the sun, drinking water, testing my walking shoes and my stamina. I also am trying to eat healthy and sensible. I have been reading posts about the Camino, gathering information and encouragement from all of you folks. So here I am, a Rio de Janeiro woman preparing for the Camino and very happy with this decision. :wink:

 

[MaryS]

Sumachado, how wonderful to read your post!! these are my thoughts exactly the same. My birthday was on Monday and I was 54. I plan to be on the Camino on my 55th birthday come hell or high water. I am now very happy with my decision despite some who have negative feeling about my ability. I have started training this week both physically and mentally. My husband, mother and children are my greatest support, I am so fortunate that they love me unconditionally even if I don't love myself that much (at the moment). I am so excited that I have made the decison, but scared and nervous at the same time, I am sure you would probably feel the same.

Regards
Mary

 

[anne-marie valton]

Hello Adelaide woman!
I did the Camino (for the 3rd time) in august 2006 I was 58 then - and because I did a lot of practising the last 3 months prior to the Camino everything turned out just fine. No injuries whatsoever. I used 40 days to reach Santiage from SJPdP incl. 2 days rest.
I envy you... Buon Camino!
Anne-Marie
http://360.yahoo.com/annemarievalton my camino blog
http://www.kroman.net
http://www.ikonmaling.dk

 

[cbarua]

Sorry, posted the same message twice.

 

[cbarua]

Hi Sumachado, This is wonderful! So much encouragement for everyone from so many who have gone, or are going. I'm so grateful there are so many of us in our fifties who are going next year....I think maybe we should put our ages, or our names on the back of our packs.....so we can find each other...but maybe not, as from what I read El Camino will bring us together in one way or another....and really it has already, whether we meet or not. . Let me tell you the truth....due to many circumstances I have put on a lot of weight over the last two years, almost 16 kilos, I have a toenail that I must sort out (it is always sore), I often have a sore knee or hip (due to my weight, lack of fitness and probably age!) I was knocked over by a two fast running dogs about 4 months ago and twisted the inside of my foot (don't know exactly where) and it gets sore still in different places, etc., etc.. I mentioned before that I am a smoker.....and I have a very difficult job at the moment which takes up almost 7 days a week ( I teach migrants and refugees English in Adelaide, that's the easy part...the problem is the new government regulations, and paper work we must do, and the new management, which is unresponsive to our needs and our suggestions.

As you can imagine, I have not started preparations yet and I must admit, I am a little envious and a little worried when I hear that some of you have already started preparing! Sooo...I have decided to stop working full time on Oct. 5 and work only one day a week. I have to sell my house, which is far too big for me, and too expensive to look after, and downsize by a third at least ,into a small apartment, which I have to find. I have to sort out my physical problems, start walking, eating healthily, quit smoking and get fit, all without getting depressed! :? oh my gosh...but I am so happy to have found El Camino. It is like a beacon calling. It is better and louder than anything else now, I will do it! And the fears I have from time to time about not being prepared. or being able to do it, are soothed by what I read in this wonderful forum. Thank you Sumachado! and everyone else. It is wonderful to read your messages of support for us all! Cariños, de Clarisa.

 

[cbarua]

Hi Anne-Marie, I wrote and saved a draft in reply to your lovely message but I can't find it now :cry: ...and it's nearly midnight, so will send another reply tomorrow. Clarisa

 

[Sumachado]

Hey guys, how wonderful to have so many responses!! I really believe we are going to meet somewhere along the way, tags or no tags!! I no longer fear solitude. Walking by myself is a choice, which does not prevent me of walking with a group whenever I feel like it. So I look forward meeting a group of "young" women in their fifties. Hasta la vista babies!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Sumachado]

Cbarua, thanks for the encouragement. I am looking forward to meeting you along the Camino. I am sure you'll be able to make it. When you actually start your "fitness" program, you'll see how easy everything becomes...As for the Camino, all of us have already started it. :!: :!:

 

[Deleted member 397]

My only advice is one that many give but surprisngly few heed---TRAVEL LIGHT! 6kgs is plenty.I've just finished walking from le puy to finisterre, about 1700kms, and was amazed at the rubbish people take. The average weight of backpacks seemed to be double mine and many were 15kgs +. Another conseideration is footwear. I left my very expensive Raichle boots at home. Out of interest I weighed them-1.4 kgs compared to 800gr for the ones I took.So thats a saving of 300grs per foot and over 1700 kms that makes a difference.

 

[astelle]

Hi Gal from Adelaide,

I'm Astelle from Eastern Canada.
I too am on the slippery side of my fifties. In the spring of 2006 , anyone in their 50 would have been considered young . There were lots of pilgrims in their 60's and 70's . I even met an old fella who claimed to be early 80's. So you will fit in with the crowd.

The last post about your backpack being kept light is one of the most important pieces of advice you will get. A person needs very little . I never felt the weight of my sack on my back. Kept it at the 6kgs. , thanks to all the advice I read on line . While training , I would carry home my groceries in my backpack. Sometimes the sack was very heavy if I had a lot of cans ,milk, or spuds.

 

[cbarua]

Hi Omar and Astelle, Thank you for your encouragement! Omar, you must have worked out the bare essentials. I am very interested in what your 6 kilos kilos consisted of. I a backpack to work and it weighed in at 8 kilos the other day. I simply can't imagine carrying it for 800 kms! :!: :?:

 

[cbarua]

Hi Anne-Marie, thank you for your message which is very encouraging. I hope you don't mind, but I have lots of questions for you . I wonder, did you walk the same Camino 3 times? Did you walk at the same time of the year each time? And did you ever catch a cab or bus along the way, or did you walk all the way each time? Did you always find a bed to sleep in for the night? What did you take with you on your third Camino. I imagine you had it down to a fine art by then? How did you cope with the cold, wet weather and the very hot days. I was reading the Spanish website: http://www.mundicamino.com/ and saw that one recommendation for water in one message was only 1 litre, because they could always find water? In this forum I read that 2 is recommended.
I'd better stop. In some ways, I wonder about not asking so many and just let it happen. Clarisa

 

[anne-marie valton]

Dear Clarisa!
The first time I walked the Camino was a year after breastcancer diagnosis. Together with my daughter I walked the last 110 km from Sarria to Santiago (in oct,). It was probably the greatest achievement of my life I thought then... I was so impressed by the people I met who had walked ALL the way from Saint-jean-pied-de-port. Could I ever be able to do that?
The next year I did part of the Camino on bicycle with my husband (in may) - we did more than 400 km. That was quite hard I think - and it went much too fast! Now I was determined to do the the complete thing by foot.
From the first time I had learnt that preparation is a must! We did not prepare much that time, and our feet was not prepared for such a walk, we walked 110 km in five days. I had lots of blisters and terrible pain. I could walk the pain away, but as soon as I stopped and started walking again..it was horrible for some minutes !!!
Last year was determined to do everything right. (15th aug)First of all I did lot of practise.Starting in may I walked 15-20 km once a week with backpack 5kg. this I did for two months. In july I walked 10 km a day with backpack. The last 14 days prior to departure I walked appr. 20 km. a day. (give or take a few).
I walked with different shoes, boots and sandals. I ended up with some lightweight walking shoes (asics) and a pair of sandals MBT (masai body technique). This way I could switch from shoes to sandals half way during the day which was an extremely good idea! This time I walked all the way - no bus or taxi involved!
I was sure there would be a place to sleep provided for me - it never failed.
I had invested in a "drinking bag" 2 litres wich could go in my backpack and a tube you know. I did not like it. Too complicated I think. When I went back to carrying a bottle I had a one litre bottle and that was always enough.But some days I would carry an extra 1/2 litre if I knew water would be scarce. This is no problem!
As to the packing: yes that is a fine art. Half way (Burgos) I sent some stuff home, f.i. my sleeping bag, which left me with my silk sleeping cover (bag). That was not a good idea. It had been hot up till then but after Burgos the weather became colder and in Astorga I bought the smallest blanket in fleece I could find. (70x180 cm) that was fine. Most places in the heights had blankets (or could provide one).
Contents of backpack: one extra underwear, one short and one long trousers, one pareo (also used as towel - evening dress etc., one extra pair of socks, one long sleeve lightweight blouse, one shortsleeve t-shirt. One fleece jacket. (in Astorga i bought one pair of long woolen thights). One rain thing to put over me and the backpack. I did not think it worked well - often the wind took the big thing, and my trousers got wet and the sleeves of the blouse. Next time (!?) I will take trousers and jacket light weight raingear.
The very best ting was the Camino guide! "A Pilgrim's way to the Camino de Santiago" by John Brierly that is a must!!! It contains EVERYTHING you need! ISBN no.:1-84409-069-8.
And yes this: my best friend: my backpack. I now have 4 pcs. because I failed to find the right one for several months. I ended up with a "fjaellraeven" whick could be opened lying on the back i.e. just like a suitcase. I know how I the other times have not been able to find what I needed and what I needed always was on the bottom or I had forgot wich pocket I put it in, in the lid or .... This way I could ALWAYS find my stuff without a problem. The lid could be taken off and used as a small bag around the waist, or put on hanging on the front (good for your guide book, and so on..) This way I could switch so the weight also changed a bit).
What else could I tell? I could go on for ages (I have already!) This is good for my - next month I will do a power point presentation of the Camino and whaat it meant to me - at the public library in my town!!
Any other questions? I will be happy to answer
Lots of love
Anne-Marie

 

[Lillian Rodriguez]

Hi Clarisa,

I’ve done two Caminos so far and here’s my experience:

Timing:
1. 115 km from Sarria to Santiago, mid September 2004: Daytime and nighttime temperatures on the hot side and mornings cool with little rain only a 5 minute fine drizzle in Galicia.
2. 750 km from Roncesvalles to Santiago, mid April-end of May 2007: Temperatures cold to cool, never too hot. Typical spring weather in Spain; changing climate: lots of rain but wonderfully green vegetation and flowers beginning to bloom.

I walked all the time carrying my 7kg backpack (inc. 1 ltr. Water); never caught a cab or bus or sent my backpack via courier. In spite of the so called “German invasion” I always found a bed, even when the albergues were full. When that happened, I’d walk a few more kms or find a pension/hostel.

Coping with the weather:
The first time I took a poncho and that was enough. For the second time I invested in a rain jacket and rain pants. These kept me dry and warm during those cold rainy days and were worth every single penny of the investment. The rain jacket also served as top layer on mornings and evenings when temperatures were colder!.

Water:
It depends on how much you drink AND the season you walk on. Because of the heat, I drank lots more in September than in mid April-May. In the beginning of my camino I took two bottles of water, but there are bars every few kms and potable water fountains along the way that an additional bottle becomes unnecessary weight to carry. I’d drink at the fountain, refill my bottle and go on. The only other time I carried two bottles was between Carrion de los Condes and Terradillos de los Templarios and even now there’s a “chiringuito” midway along this solitary 17 km stretch of the meseta. The “chiringuito” has portable WC’s and sells bocadillos, refreshments, water, etc.

The Mundicamino site is full of very useful information but as a Spanish speaker you have other options to provide basic information, maps, stage profiles, and equipment recommendations, places to stay, etc. Here’s links to the most complete Spanish sites:

http://www.jacobeo.net.
http://caminodesantiago.consumer.es/
http://www.caminosantiago.com/

Read as much as you can, compare and then make an informed decision. And above all, trust your inner wisdom, and pack very light and be ruthless in the process because if you don’t your feet will pay the price later when you carry so much weight. You know, when those dreaded blister start appearing! You’ll be amazed how very little you need to live, in and outside the camino!

If you have any questions answered in Spanish, just send a pm to me.

Regards from San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

[Deleted member 397]

As you asked about what I packed to weigh 6kgs:
2prs socks
1 pr shorts
2 prs undies
2 T shirts
sleeping bag 900gr
1 pr thongs/flip flops
1 bar of soap for shaving,washing clothes hair and me
1 micro towel
1 $2 plastic poncho
1 fleecy top
1 1 ltre water bottel
1 camera
1 guide book
I think that was about it. It might be useful if you list what you intend to pack (not wear). I used the above for 1700kms from le puy to santiago.

 

[jeff001]

cbarua:
In finding ways to reduce the weight of your pack don't overlook the pack itself. For packs of the same size there can be weight variations of a kilo or more.

 

[cbarua]

Hi Anne-Marie,

So much information! Thank you! . Please tell me more about your backpack. I looked it up on the internet, but there are so many choices...can you tell me which model you bought? I am interested in the fact that you can open it like a suitcase. Is it on your back in the lovely photo you attached? It looks nice and small. What size was it?

And I just love the background you chose for your backdrop of your website. A photo of yours? or? a or a digital picture, can't tell, but I just love it. I would like to put in on my desktop to remind me everyday that I am 'en mi Camino a Santiago' . I tried to put it on but could only manage to cover 1/3 of my desktop. I want it to cover the whole desktop. Can you help?

Also how do you put your photo above your name, next to your messages. I can't work out how to do it.

Clarisa

 

[ivar]

Also how do you put your photo above your name, next to your messages. I can't work out how to do it.

Hi Clarisa,

Here is how you do this:
1) Go to your profile:
ucp.php

2) Click the "Profile" tab at the top.

3) Click "Edit Avatar" in the menu towards the left, a bit down.

4) Click "Browse" and select a photo from your computer (it has to be a very small photo, max 80x80 pixels)
Alternativley you can click the "Display Gallery" to select a flag instead of a photo.

5) Remember to click "Submit" at the end to save your changes.

Un saludo,
Ivar

 

[cbarua]

Mil gracias Ivar! Yo ha hacerlo ahorita mismo, a ver si puedo.

 

[anne-marie valton]

Hi Clarissa!
What do you mean by "backdrop" of my homepage? Is it the page light blue with stars you mean? or the photo I encluded?If you give me your e-mail I could send it to you.
No, at the pickture I am on my first Camino and it is not the backpack I had last time. I will take a pickture of it and I will check the name and size and art. no. of the backpack. It has one great disadvantage though - it is in itself rather heavy - but for me I found that the weight did not matter as compared to all the advantages.. (alzheimer light and so on...) It also has a number of possibilities to fit you and for that reason you are able to change the weight load - from lower back to top - to hips and that was good for me, but not neccecarily for you.... I will return. Now it is past eight in the evening - my sauna is hot and I will take a steam bath - thinking of the Camino and when will I return? I also think of the possibility of doing the norwegian pilgrim walk from Oslo to Trondheim... The world is open.
Good evening
Anne-Marie
:roll:

 

[KiwiNomad06]

Hi Clarisa,

All the best for your preparations. I have just turned 50, and I am hoping to start in Le Puy mid-April next year. I have started 'training'. The funniest bit is when I walk on local streets with my laden pack. Some people realise I must be training for something and I often have good wee convos with them in passing. Some others don't know where to look at this strange sight and look the other way! As our summer arrives I hope to get out and do a lot more cycling and also swimming, and I am sure that both will build up my strength and cardio fitness.

I am not sure which pack I will take yet and am fortunate to have the choice of two. (Do you happen to know someone you could borrow one from to practise with before you buy?) Each time I have gone out walking, some other 'essential' finds itself removed to the non-essential pile! One pack is 55l, said by many to be 'too large' for the Camino, and the other is 45l. The larger pack is 1kg heavier than the smaller pack, but it actually feels more comfortable when I wear it, and better for my back. I find the harness on the lighter pack does not feel as well positioned on my back, and things wobble around more. I am sure that by the time I have removed a few more items from the 'essential' list, and and climbed more than a few more hills in training.... I will have finally made up my mind!

I have been in central parts of France before in April and May and I know that the weather can be quite variable. I know that I might encounter some cold, even snowy days, and almost certainly some very wet days, as well as possibly some hot sunny days. So there are some items I am taking that I think I will need to wear near the beginning of my walk that I will dispose of /post as I go on. For my training, I am imagining that it is a hot, dry day, and I am placing most things in my pack to carry.

Go well with your preparations!
Margaret

 

[cbarua]

Update by Clarisa, 56, from Adelaide concerned about April 2

I have been off the computer for a few days, weeks.....I find myself spending too much time there....so had a sort of a break.

Hello all you wonderful people....my best news is that it has now been 4 weeks since I have had a cigarette! And it feels wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now I am preparing myself for losing several kilos, which I am finding harder than quitting smoking. I have also joined a gym where Scott, an exercise physiologist, is teaching me to strengthen my "core" muscles and stretches, which I will need for the journey...I am doing those exercises daily. Also, I am learning to massage myself with a tennis ball! so that I can loosen up before and after my daily walks during the Camino hopefully to prevent injuries. I can use it at the moment to help me with plantar faciitis while I am on the computer. I am fairly new to all this, by the way, as well as to words such as 'gluts' and 'abs', etc..

I have also bought a pedometer which I wear everyday and have been able to do between 10,000 and 14,000 steps, or about 9-10 km every other day, but only about 7000-8000 of these are "aerobic"..on the other days my steps number about half...in other words I am not moving around all that much ( doing paper work )

I worry because wonderful Sumachado is walking 8 kms daily in Brazil to prepare for April 08 and I have been walking only an hour every other day at a steady pace. Has anyone gone from 1 hour walking every other day to doing 20kms a day on the Camino in 4 months? By the way Dale and Vinotinto, I have been using my New Balance Shoes, with orthothics.

I now need to buy the right shoes....I need light weight shoes with ankle support....which I want to use off and on before April. And I guess I'd better get the right socks too. Which socks and shoes do you think are the best for the Camino?

The more I read about the Camino in books and on this website, and the more real it is becoming for me, the more I realize, what an amazing thing it is that all you wonderful people have achieved, to have walked such distances having surpassed so much pain and fear. Wow!

Buen Camino,
Clarisa

 

[KiwiNomad06]

You are bound to get many many replies and opinions about shoes and socks Clarisa, but I may as well be in! I bought some Merrell walking shoes earlier in the year and have been absolutely loving them. They have Vibram soles which don't slip. (I had a nasty experience with New Balance shoes that slipped one day last year on a wet Croagh Patrick in Ireland!) After advice on this forum I also invested in Bridgedale socks and liners. They are expensive, but the most comfortable socks I have ever worn, and wearing liners seems to really reduce the blister issue.
It is now just over three weeks until my summer holidays and I am looking forward to a lot of walking as my 'training' steps up some necessary gears before my April departure!
Margaret

 

[Sumachado]

Hey, Clarisa, welcome back! What a wonderful piece of news! I am sure that you will get there in all senses!! My daily walks have been so good that I miss them when I am unable to go. The good thing about living by the beach is that on sunny days you cannot ignore the "call"... You just get up and go. My current shoes are Mizuno running shoes and I alternate with TEVA sandals. I am starting to break a Gore-Tex Salomon shoes in order to make a choice for the actual Camino. I got some blisters in a really hot day when I walked 16 Km and I try not to "smooth" my feet anymore. Some calluses are important, I read...
I hope to buy my tickets in January, and am still debating about the cheapest way to go from Santiago to Paris. I've read that Vueling has very cheap tickets... We'll see...
Hope to hear more about you. Buen Camino, Sulachado.

 

[vinotinto]

Re: Update by Clarisa, 56, from Adelaide concerned about April 2

Has anyone gone from 1 hour walking every other day to doing 20kms a day on the Camino in 4 months? By the way Dale and Vinotinto, I have been using my New Balance Shoes, with orthothics.

I now need to buy the right shoes....I need light weight shoes with ankle support....which I want to use off and on before April. And I guess I'd better get the right socks too. Which socks and shoes do you think are the best for the Camino?

Well, I went from zero hours walking on any day to 5 days walking around Bordeaux/Bayonne/St. Jean (with no pack) to a couple of 20+ kilometer days on the Camino (St. Jean - Roncesvalles - Zubiri) with a 20+ kilo pack. Not a good plan.

Indeed, I was a mess after that - too much weight & too heavy boots over too long a distance on rough terrain. Training probably would've helped me avoid the misery of the weeks following, where I had to reduce my distance on the Camino to 10-15K a day until I healed up, get rid of extraneous stuff, and buy a new, lighter pair of boots at the Planeta Agua outdoor store in Logrono (keep that name handy - you may need to do some shopping by that point, as by then you'll know what you need first-hand. They specialize in Camino outfitting and are nice folks - they even told me the streets where the best restaurants in Logrono are located).

Good job w/the orthotics - wish I'd had some on the Camino, although I made due with generic inserts. As others have noted, everyone will have a different "favorite" type of boot, sock, etc. Generally, I'd avoid going for a heavy boot. My initial pair was too bulky, and my feet were miserable (I've heard it said that wearing heavy footwear is like having extra pounds in your pack). Once I replaced them with a lighter Spanish boot in Logrono, I was much better off. Here are links to some how-to articles on choosing footwear:

http://www.rei.com/learn/Travel/rei/lea ... otwrf#hike

http://www.rei.com/learn/Camping/rei/le ... footwear3f

Look for something light to mid-weight at most, with a good sole (like Vibram) and non-bulky ankle support. You can add additional support by crossing your laces 5-6 times right at the point where your boots bend in front (a tip from the woman who ran the Roncal albergue in Cizur Menor). On downward slopes, that reinforcement will help prevent toe blisters & pain by stopping your foot from moving forward inside the boot and slamming your toes into the boot tip).

As for socks, I did the two-layer system, with a thin synthetic liner first, and then a thicker wool sock on top (if you go that route, you'll have to buy a bigger size boot than you would normally wear w/one sock). Check out this REI article about choosing socks (I bought most of my gear at REI, a US outdoor chain):

http://www.rei.com/learn/Travel/rei/learn/camp/socks3f

I also used foot lube to help prevent friction - a stick applicator product called Bodyglide. Putting Maxipads on my boot liners also helped absorb moisture and provide a bit of padding (another tip from the Roncal woman). As she said, "We need to find cheap and easy solutions on the Camino." :wink:

Anyway, I hope your preparations continue to go well. Learning to take care of your feet now, along with getting the right equipment and breaking it in, is time well-spent (wish I'd done more of that, but some of us have to learn the hard way). Buen Camino!

 

[Deleted member 397]

Vinotinto has made some good points. Many many people overdo the footwear-it's NOT scaling the north face of Everest!-it's walking, in my opinion for 99% of the camino you do not need anything more than decent walking shoes.I bought an expensive pair of Raichle boots but opted for a much cheaper pair which were ideal. Oh Dear Oh dear-20kgs +!!!! No matter how many times people post advice on this web site people seem to persist inm loading up their pack. My previous post listed the 6kgs I took-that's all you need.Just out of interest Vinotinto what on earth were you carrying?

 

[vinotinto]

Just out of interest Vinotinto what on earth were you carrying?

Go to the Equipment thread and look for my gear posting - it includes a list of stuff I thought I needed, but ended up dumping or mailing off to Santiago (another good option available along the Way if you find yourself overburdened).

Way back when, I used to be in the US Marines - so I figured I could handle the extra weight. However, my 40-year-old civilian body is a far cry from my 23-year-old Marine one...ow.