- Time of past OR future Camino
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I have been slowed down a little following knee replacement surgery last year. My aim is to walk about an hour every weekday as exercise along with any other walking I might do, and to do a longer walk on at least one day on the weekend. These vary in distance, but anything from two to four hours with a day pack around 5-8 kg depending on what gear I am carrying when I am bush-walking.
There is normally plenty of helpful advice on the IVV and IML two day and four day walk event sites around the world for their longer distance walks. If you maintain a base level of being able to walk two to three hours most weekends, extending that to your camino distances should take more than a couple of months of more dedicated training. You don't need to maintain that level continually unless you are participating in other long distance walking activities as part of your normal daily life.
ps: I don't quite emulate @Robo's approach, but there is much to recommend about it. Avoiding injury is a pretty important part of any preparation, whether that is by avoiding more demanding types of activities while still working on both walking strength and endurance or by introducing a heavier pack into your routine gradually rather than suddenly. You will eventually have to carry one, but my view is that if you don't introduce it into your training regime until a couple of months out, that is still time to work out how well you are going to tolerate the harness and overall weight.
I am 71 and when at home try to walk 4 klms every morning 5 days a week. This keeps my fitness level ready for my yearly camino. You are never too old to get in shape. Use it or lose it.. .in other words dont give up. Bon camino.If you have no immediate plans for a Camino what do you aim for in terms of walking/training weekly?
I let my hiking/walking slack off this summer - did a 4.5 mile hike this am and noticed it.
I'm a 67 yo woman and I think my days of getting in shape quickly for when I do do another Camino in a year or two are over!
Any hills there?My first Camino is going to be in June 2024. I'm starting from an essentially sedentary state (before I had the urge to walk the Camino, I had started hiking for about an hour twice weekly over the summer of 2023; before that I exercised not at all)!
I'm fortunate to live in the Pacific Northwest close to a beautiful seaside walk that stretches along the southern peninsula. We also have mild weather over winter, for which I'm grateful. Using Google maps, I've plotted out a number of out-and-back routes of varying lengths:
- 7km : 1.5 hours
- 8.5km : 2 hours
- 12.2km : 2.5 hours
- 14.4km : 3 hours
- 17km : 4 hours
- 21km: 5 hours
- 24km : 5.5 hours
I'm fortunate to work only 32 hours a week (three full days and two half days). Over the next 7 months, I plan on taking progressively longer walks, trying to get out every day with my pack fully loaded at 6kg with water. (But I hope I won't beat myself up if I miss a day due to other life demands). On my weekend or days where I have a half day, I'll take longer walks. On days where I work a full day, I'll only go 7km/1.5 hours.
If all goes well, by November I'll be walking 61km/week. By May, 95km/week. My daily numbers in May will still be low relative to Camino walking, but hopefully it's enough preparation!
My other hope is that, after the Camino, I'll be able to maintain the November schedule of walking: 1.5 hours on work days, and 2-3 hours on short days/weekends. I think that would be really great for my health!
Here is the schedule I hope to maintain to keep my base level health up forever:
Day 1: 7km
Day 2: 7km
Day 3: 8.5km
Day 4: 8.5km
Day 5: 7km
Day 6 (weekend): 8.5km (and a bonus walk in the nearby forest for another 5km)
Day 7 (weekend): 14.4km
I just need my Wrightsocks to come in and see if they will prevent blisters! I tried going in my Darn Toughs but the sidewalk was hard on my feet and I could feel hotspots under the balls of my feet after only 7km.
P.S. This is what I hope will work for me and my schedule; others may be busier and have to do something different!
Only light inclines during my seaside walks. When I go to the forest once a week there's a big ridge trail that I climb up. I'll be taking the Camino Portuguese so hopefully the reports that it's relatively flat are true and I don't have to worry about anything too strenuous!Any hills there?
If you have no immediate plans for a Camino what do you aim for in terms of walking/training weekly?
I let my hiking/walking slack off this summer - did a 4.5 mile hike this am and noticed it.
I'm a 67 yo woman and I think my days of getting in shape quickly for when I do do another Camino in a year or two are over!
4) I think all the hiking is great but do targeted exercises to strengthen ankles, knees, quads, glutes and back are super important. I spend about 30 minutes a day. The lack of these I believe contribute to some imbalances that exhibit themselves in the form of knee injuries and shin splits.
Whatever, training you do, start slow and build up. You don’t want to get hurt before you’re even stepped foot on the Camino.
They don't have to be! I'm also a 67 year old woman and never have to train for a Camino. Why? Because I walk about 2 hours daily with my dog, three on Sundays (5 -5.5 kph) . I also do an intensive type of yoga 4x a week. It really all depends on your normal daily routine - climb stairs, walk instead of taking the car etc. I live in an apartment on the fourth floor and only take the elevator if bogged down with something really heavy. Walking up and down 4 flights of stairs 4 times a day is a daily activity. Every little bit adds upIf you have no immediate plans for a Camino what do you aim for in terms of walking/training weekly?
I let my hiking/walking slack off this summer - did a 4.5 mile hike this am and noticed it.
I'm a 67 yo woman and I think my days of getting in shape quickly for when I do do another Camino in a year or two are over!
Regular consistent training as we age is extremely important "use it or lose it" is very much a thing and it's much harder if we spend a year planning our Camino and we leave the physical training to the very last.If you have no immediate plans for a Camino what do you aim for in terms of walking/training weekly?
I let my hiking/walking slack off this summer - did a 4.5 mile hike this am and noticed it.
I'm a 67 yo woman and I think my days of getting in shape quickly for when I do do another Camino in a year or two are over!
How much do you currently weigh? I ask the question relative to the total weight of your Rucksack, water and hiking poles included.As a 67 year old male, my base training approach is :-
* walk the dog for half hour almost every day (this is an easy walk, 10 year old dog, 2km )
* at least twice a week there will be gardening, bike riding, swimming in season, day walk in bush with light pack, wash the car, up a ladder trimming trees,
* once or twice a year there will be a multi-day pack walk carrying tent and camp gear (pack weight can be 11kg - 15 kg depending on water availability)
* stretching and hand weights are good to retain fitness, I should start doing these again .....
* I do a fair bit of incidental walking and take the stairs instead of elevator when I can
* I watch my weight, usually around 25 BMI. (but my doctor would like 24) And watch how the trousers are fitting around the waist.
When I do a longer bike ride or a multi-day walk, if it is harder than expected I increase my usual basic exercise afterwards. Same if the weight goes up.
I was 87.2 kg this morning. The 11-15 kg pack weight mentioned has heaps of stuff I wouldn't take on the camino, including 3 days food, lots of water and 0.5 litre scotch.How much do you currently weigh? I ask the question relative to the total weight of your Rucksack, water and hiking poles included.
The comment by your doctor has me puzzled (no, I'm not a physician but am a physiotherapist). Poor back musculature because of weight-lossI left Bilbao on September 20th and returned from Balmaseda and home by bus on the 23rd due to lower back pain after having seen a doctor who informed me that I LACKED BACK MUSCLES due to my LOSS of weight.My legs were trembling like leaves something that had never happened before while hiking. (I have been hiking since January 2020 and have lost the equivalent of 22 kgs).
I am leaving Bilbao or Pamplona late March, early April 2024.
Well, I plan on doing at least one Camino every year and may leave at any time. Training involves loading an old MOLLE pack to 4X Camino base weight, or 18kg, and carrying it while walking the dog 2-3x per day for a total of 7.5-15km. That way I don't have to do any 25km+ training hikes, which would take too much time, ---and he is a very happy dog! Ride the bike for a couple hours a few times a week. Hit the gym an hour a day 5-6 days a week. Do the elliptical if weather is bad outside. Be real, most people spend a few hours a day anchoring the couch while watching TV or doing Facebook. That time is better spent maintaining your health, Camino or not.If you have no immediate plans for a Camino what do you aim for in terms of walking/training weekly?
I let my hiking/walking slack off this summer - did a 4.5 mile hike this am and noticed it.
I'm a 67 yo woman and I think my days of getting in shape quickly for when I do do another Camino in a year or two are over!
wow, 22 kgs is a lot.(I have been hiking since January 2020 and have lost the equivalent of 22 kgs).
Depends on how much there was to lose in the first place! 22kg spread over three years does not seem like a huge amount if the person was substantially overweight to start with. I lost 33 pounds (15kg) over 66 days when walking from Canterbury to Rome. An average of half a pound per day. With hindsight it seems quite possible that the very rapid weight loss during that walk was the trigger for my later gallstone problem.wow, 22 kgs is a lot.
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