Fitness and footwear

[peter nixon]

hi

I plan to start fromSt Jean Pied de.. on Monday 25th September 2017

I am English but live in Marbella.

I need advice on: getting to the start - presume fly Marbella to Bordeaux then train to St Jean...?

Is 2 weeks intensive training gonna be enough? I'm desperate to go before the trail becomes a quagmire.

What footwear is required?

Thanks in advance. I plan on starting solo and with an open mind. I'm 48 and almost divorced. Said it all!

Peter

 

[Rick M]

Footwear is the MOST important thing. Fitness is good too, but blisters are the main scourge on Camino, and foot wear is key. You will get a lot of conflicting advice here, most of it (including mine) will be useless. You need what works for you, there are no one size fits all answers for footwear.

In your shoes, I would buy a new pair of my favorite running shoes, and use those. No breakin, and little chance of blisters. Buy new socks as well! Cotton is useless, they should be wool. Take a set of sandals that you can wear at the albergues or for walking in the rain. If you have a broken in trail shoe already, by all means, wear those. You do not need boots to walk the camino, but some have a favorite pair, and that's fine.

As for training, start walking. Are you in pretty good shape now? If you are already a walker or runner, you're golden. If you haven't left your couch for ten years, that's a different problem. Either way, start walking, but don't overdo it. You will really be training the first weeks of the Camino, and you don't want to injure yourself trying to get into fighting shape before you go. Take it easy at first, and plan very short stages for the first week at least. Are you carrying your pack? Start getting used to it now. Easier for men than women, even an 8 kilo pack can be a challenge at first.

As for travel, Bordeaux is a good entry point, Biarritz is closer. Either way, take a train from Bordeaux or a bus from Biarritz to get to the Bayonne train station and take the TER local train to SJPP. You will meet your first fellow pilgrims there.

Buen Camino!

 

[C clearly]

Is 2 weeks intensive training gonna be enough? I'm desperate to go before the trail becomes a quagmire.

Don't be too intensive - that comes on the camino. Use the time you have to test your footwear (that is your most important challenge if you don't have the shoes yet and you only have 2 weeks), and work up to 15 km or so, but do not injure yourself by overdoing things! I haven't found the trail to be a quagmire in October-November. Yes, there are a few spots that can be very muddy, but not many, and that is part of the fun!

What footwear is required?

Comfortable footwear! Lightweight boots or decent trail shoes are the most common. They need to be the right shape for your foot, and should be as roomy as possible as long as your foot doesn't slide around. Sock preference is individual. I don't like wool socks, for example, but agree that cotton is not appropriate. The thickness has to be selected based on the fit of your shoe. If you aren't sure, I suggest that you take 3 or 4 different pairs and you will soon find out which one you prefer. If your feet swell you might need a thinner pair late in the day.

 

[MichelleElynHogan]

Any way to Biarritz Airport, even by bus and see if you can schedule arrival at the same time as any flight coming in. There will be pilgrims. Wait outside and tag 3 people with packs as they come out, catch a cab there and for 25 euros each, and an hour later, you will all be in SJPP. Walk into the old city, inside the walls, up to the top of the hill and the Pilgrim Office is on the left.

Shoes, yes, there will be a ton of advice. Here, I fall back to the experience of others who had already created blisters and knew they could not continue with existing foot wear, whatever it was. They go to a sports shop and find some comfortable runners, something that makes sense for the trip. If you walk and feet feel sore, find some insole cushioning. To keep the blisters away, multiple socks, at least one thin and one thick, more cushioning.

Walking day after day may get to you. That will have to be tested. Be open to continuing, and stopping. Be gentle with yourself, one of the Camino requirements. Protect against injury, care for yourself when it happens, always be open to revising plans.

Finally, pack as light as possible. The Happy Factor rises, the lighter your pack.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I need advice on: getting to the start - presume fly Marbella to Bordeaux then train to St Jean...?

Forum member @whariwharangi, now registered on this site as a guest, was a whiz at handling transportation questions like this. I found an older thread that had an answer by him to your question. That is at https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/biarritz-st-jean-sunday-june-1st.26326/

One option he gave was "go to Bayonne via Irun. There are 4 trains and 3 buses Bayonne to SJPdP most days."

Schedules may have changed since then but whariwharangi provided links so you should be able to find the latest infomation.

 

[nycwalking]

I am with group on runners if that is your normal wear whilst out and about. I wore Nike running shoes on all my caminos. Winter one had to switch to boots due to spained ankle and mud, and more mud.

Use the camino as your training. Start slowly and allow your body to strengthen.

Buen camino.