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Search 69,459 Camino Questions

Futility of Over planning

C2

Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Frances (2014) Frances (2015) Frances (2016) Frances (2017) Frances (2019)
With just four days before my departure to walk CF I have been struck down with a heavy cold and flu like symptoms. My planning over the last month was text book stuff. Walking everyday culminating in a 35k walk along the north Kent coastline last Thursday. Now I will have done no exercise at all in the all important preceding week. Whether I can drag myself over the Pyrenees on Saturday remains to be seen but I guess it’s a life lesson in not being able to plan everything to the smallest detail.
 
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With just four days before my departure to walk CF I have been struck down with a heavy cold and flu like symptoms. My planning over the last month was text book stuff. Walking everyday culminating in a 35k walk along the north Kent coastline last Thursday. Now I will have done no exercise at all in the all important preceding week. Whether I can drag myself over the Pyrenees on Saturday remains to be seen but I guess it’s a life lesson in not being able to plan everything to the smallest detail.
Maybe that rest before you start will make you stronger. Just thinking 🤔
 
Whether I can drag myself over the Pyrenees on Saturday remains to be seen
It depends on your energy level and your symptoms, but there is plenty of adrenaline in the first few days, so I am betting that you can!! Take care of your feet so that when you hit the wall in a week, you won't be fighting blisters AND low energy! Buen camino.
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
You'll be just fine. All those people who raced ahead from SJPDP with great gusto, will all be struggling up the stairs in Roncesvalles, you will take your time and arrive in good shape. After all you've done it before, have nothing to prove and know whats up ahead. Many of them wont.
 
I had a bad cold/flu before doing Leon to SdeC and the second day was too much at 30km though that is a fairly normal distance for me. I would suggest either trying to find a way to divide the route to Roncesvalles or actually starting on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees rather than pushing hard the first day.
The time I left SJPDP I changed my plans due to bad weather and so I walked to Valcarlos the day I arrived so the next day with bad weather was a shorter day. It meant i missed staying in SJPdP but it was worth it. Depending on your arrival time it might be possible to do something similar eg use a taxi.
 
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Better now than any time in the next month @C2 ! Think of yourself as a marathon runner and this is tapering in the lead up to the big day. Any fitness you do lose in the next four days will be more than made up for by the time you reach Pamplona.

Buen Camino,

Rob.
 
Better now than any time in the next month @C2 ! Think of yourself as a marathon runner and this is tapering in the lead up to the big day. Any fitness you do lose in the next four days will be more than made up for by the time you reach Pamplona.

Buen Camino,

Rob.
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
Thanks for the words of encouragement- just what I needed lying here feeling sorry for myself. There are however so many inspirational stories on this forum of real adversity so I am sure I can shrug this off
 
You'll be just fine. All those people who raced ahead from SJPDP with great gusto, will all be struggling up the stairs in Roncesvalles, you will take your time and arrive in good shape. After all you've done it before, have nothing to prove and know whats up ahead. Many of them wont.
True true. Thanks for your kind words. I did think about Valcarlos but that looks a bit lonely especially if I’m feeling rough
 
I would also suggest that you stay in a private room until you are certain you are contagion-free. You're not going to make friends snuffling and hacking and sneezing in a hostel.

But as far as the not-being-able to train part, I have read numerous posts over the years in which pilgrims are all reassured that you don't have to train like a pro-athlete or be physically fit to even start. The body adjusts and nothing really can prepare you for the Camino. You can follow all the best advice about preventing blisters having trained months prior in the boots you'll be wearing and still get them. A girl I know trained hard for the Camino but still had to leave it because she tore her quad and I have read stories from very unfit people who walked (albeit more slowly) with zero injuries.

Listen to your body. Stop when you need to rest. Proper planning means including time for the unexpected and unforeseen. Rest days need to be included in any timeframe for people considering walking any number of stages. There can be flight delays due to weather or the airline might have to bump a flight.

The whole not-knowing is the most magical part of the Camino~
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
With just four days before my departure to walk CF
Focus, Focus, Focus on getting well. Sleep, drink tons of water, sleep, eat chicken soup, drink water, Take Nyquil, sleep, drink water, drink OJ. If you focus on getting well you can kick this thing before you leave. Take care of yourself, the Camino will take care of it's self. But you already know that, don't you. ;) Get Well soon!!

I didn't get to train much before either of my CF"s and I made it just fine.

I'm so very excited for you, Buen Camino!!
:)👣
 
With just four days before my departure to walk CF I have been struck down with a heavy cold and flu like symptoms. My planning over the last month was text book stuff. Walking everyday culminating in a 35k walk along the north Kent coastline last Thursday. Now I will have done no exercise at all in the all important preceding week. Whether I can drag myself over the Pyrenees on Saturday remains to be seen but I guess it’s a life lesson in not being able to plan everything to the smallest detail.
It’s actually better to tone down the training in the week before you head out. It rests the body and prepares you for the big climb. Your body will fight this illness well, since you are in good shape. So sorry this illness hit you. Just take it slow and easy. You will be fine.
 
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Now I will have done no exercise at all in the all important preceding week.
I don't think the preceding week is all that important. You aren't going to suddenly lose the fitness that you have achieved through your training in one week. You have already proven that you can do a 35 km day. Many people suggest that you should back off on your training the last week or so before your Camino. I doubt that lack of fitness will be a problem.. However, a lingering illness may slow you down the first few days.
 
Focus, Focus, Focus on getting well. Sleep, drink tons of water, sleep, eat chicken soup, drink water, Take Nyquil, sleep, drink water, drink OJ. If you focus on getting well you can kick this thing before you leave. Take care of yourself, the Camino will take care of it's self. But you already know that, don't you. ;) Get Well soon!!

I didn't get to train much before either of my CF"s and I made it just fine.

I'm so very excited for you, Buen Camino!!
:)👣
Wise words thanks so much
 
It’s actually better to tone down the training in the week before you head out. It rests the body and prepares you for the big climb. Your body will fight this illness well, since you are in good shape. So sorry this illness hit you. Just take it slow and easy. You will be fine.
Thanks for your encouragement
 
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The first edition came out in 2003 and has become the go-to-guide for many pilgrims over the years. It is shipping with a Pilgrim Passport (Credential) from the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.
Focus, Focus, Focus on getting well. Sleep, drink tons of water, sleep, eat chicken soup, drink water, Take Nyquil, sleep, drink water, drink OJ. If you focus on getting well you can kick this thing before you leave. Take care of yourself, the Camino will take care of it's self. But you already know that, don't you. ;) Get Well soon!!

I didn't get to train much before either of my CF"s and I made it just fine.

I'm so very excited for you, Buen Camino!!
:)👣
Thanks so much - appreciate your best wishes
 
@C2 :

I start walking on Thursday from Burgos. I am 65. I have done NO training on beforehand. But I know I'm OK fit. If otherwise, I'll just have a few shorter days in the beginning. I am capable of doing +3o kms/day, but my comfort zone is 20-25. So I'll stick to that. There are albergues in every village (more or less), as you know.

Just relax: Everything's gonna be fine. You have done it before, so you know how to play it.

Buen Camino!
Ultreya!
 
'If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans'.... Woody Allen.

I'm doing my first Camino from Leon in a month's time, and while I have done as much prep as I could, I am travelling for a month beforehand and not in a position to do any long walks, and have an injury, so I'm very relaxed about my Camino may involve very short/slow days, having my pack taken for me, and some bus trips if I have to. Better to do it this way than not at all I figure.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
With just four days before my departure to walk CF I have been struck down with a heavy cold and flu like symptoms. My planning over the last month was text book stuff. Walking everyday culminating in a 35k walk along the north Kent coastline last Thursday. Now I will have done no exercise at all in the all important preceding week. Whether I can drag myself over the Pyrenees on Saturday remains to be seen but I guess it’s a life lesson in not being able to plan everything to the smallest detail.
You'd be surprised at how long conditioning stays with you. After my 2016 camino I didn't do any sustained walking for a year and a half until I started training for my 2018 camino. I was amazed at how much easier it still was than when I started the 2016 camino. I wouldn't worry too much about missing a few days of walking, if you've been doing a lot of training in the lead up.
 
You'd be surprised at how long conditioning stays with you. After my 2016 camino I didn't do any sustained walking for a year and a half until I started training for my 2018 camino. I was amazed at how much easier it still was than when I started the 2016 camino. I wouldn't worry too much about missing a few days of walking, if you've been doing a lot of training in the lead up.
Thanks David. I took another member’s advice and booked a single room in St Jean to avoid spreading germs
 
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
Practicing for the Camino too much is like practicing for a car accident. It’s just walking and with a few exceptions, a rather pleasant way to spend your day.
Inexperience - the Key to Flexibility.
 

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