I agree with Peregrina2000, we should just be what we are. Nothing else works. I was so slow compared to others, I could have cried at first. That is until I realized that I just was who I was. I tried to be faster, but it just didn't work! And there were friends that I made who couldn't walk as slow as me because they were just as naturally fast as I was slow. And for me, music was a meditation that helped me to cope with the difficulties and transcend them. AC/DC, Bruce Springsteen, Nirvana, Krishna Das...they helped me focus on what was important to me, i.e. finishing despite the pain. I couldn't have been without my headphones. Music is as natural as the trees. Music is nature. I liked silence, I liked music and I liked people distractions every now and again. I gained a whole new perspective on the camino because I let it all come naturally. Rules are for fools! Just be who you are.