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Physical Recovery

RevBarbaraG

Member
Time of past OR future Camino
CF (2018)
I know it’s going to vary a lot based on age, fitness level, how hard you pushed yourself etc, but I would like to get a feel for the range of time it took people to feel normal again!

I arrived at SdC on Saturday, having walked from SJPdP in 38 days, minus a little bus ride because of knee pain. I was exhausted in a way I have never known before. Had 3 days of R&R in a nice apartment in Santiago (OK, the 3rd day we took the bus to Finisterre and did the 9.9K loop), travelled home on Wednesday, and yesterday and today I have been pootling round the house, getting things straight after some building work while we were away. Dust everywhere!

But I have no energy. I want to sit down all the time. Fortunately, I don’t start back to work until a week on Monday.... but there are lots of jobs I want to get done round the house!

How long did it take you to get back to yourself?
 
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After a long walk I usually take three or four days to get back to some sort of normal physical state. A couple of days of lethargy are normal for me. Odd because during the last few days of the walk I generally feel in great physical shape and full of energy. Pretty sure the drained feeling on returning home is more psychological than physical for me. Mentally I am a lost cause though - by day 3 I am usually already thinking about my next walking trip and running through possibilities in my head.
 
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There’s only one hour difference between Spain and UK, although I was getting up earlier on the Camino, and going to bed a LOT earlier. Going to have to get used to not being in bed for 9.5-10 hours per night.

My healing blisters itch like anything!
 
But I have no energy.
Ah, congratulations, @RevBarbaraG !
On top of the sheer physicality of the walk, there's a lot to digest that is more than just physical - it can be draining. And that goes on 'behind the scenes,' out of conscious awareness. At least that's been my experience. And then there is missing the conneciton and simplicity of camino life that can also leave me feeling a little 'blah.'

I've found it's like a retreat - so I assume it will take a day for each day I walked to fully engage in the more complicated realities of life beyond 'walk, wash, eat, sleep, repeat.'

And maybe go see your GP. There may be a simple physical reason. If it were me, I'd have a doc check my iron levels. Foot strike hemolysis is found in distance runners but can cause anemia in all sorts of people:
"Footstrike hemolysis is not only seen in long-distance runners: It has also been observed in other types of athletes, such as cyclists and swimmers, and in nonathletes, such as soldiers after a strenuous march..."
 
I think it is normal to feel exhausted after the walk. Not only was it a physical journey, you were also travelling through three or four towns a day. There aren't many foreign tours that would have you visiting so many places every day for over a month. Then as @VNwalking mentions, there are other changes happening at the unconscious level as well. I return to work right away after my walks, but the first week is a blur. It also takes time to get back in with your friends as they had a life while you were gone and everything has shifted.

If you are wanting to sit, then just sit and relax. The dusting will wait. Look after yourself - have baths, listen to music and slowly reintegrate. If you feel frustrated with being tired, then set a timer for 15 minutes and do something around the house. Then go back to resting and looking after you.

Take care.
 
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And maybe go see your GP. There may be a simple physical reason. If it were me, I'd have a doc check my iron levels. Foot strike hemolysis is found in distance runners but can cause anemia in all sorts of people:
"Footstrike hemolysis is not only seen in long-distance runners: It has also been observed in other types of athletes, such as cyclists and swimmers, and in nonathletes, such as soldiers after a strenuous march..."

As the daughter of a GP, I have an instinctive aversion to visiting the GP unless I really need to. My logical mind says that, if I have indeed become anaemic through repeatedly walking 20K+ per day, then removing the cause of the problem should allow it to resolve in due course. I’ll see how I’m feeling in a week or two and then revisit that possibility.
 
I know it’s going to vary a lot based on age, fitness level, how hard you pushed yourself etc, but I would like to get a feel for the range of time it took people to feel normal again!

I arrived at SdC on Saturday, having walked from SJPdP in 38 days, minus a little bus ride because of knee pain. I was exhausted in a way I have never known before. Had 3 days of R&R in a nice apartment in Santiago (OK, the 3rd day we took the bus to Finisterre and did the 9.9K loop), travelled home on Wednesday, and yesterday and today I have been pootling round the house, getting things straight after some building work while we were away. Dust everywhere!

But I have no energy. I want to sit down all the time. Fortunately, I don’t start back to work until a week on Monday.... but there are lots of jobs I want to get done round the house!

How long did it take you to get back to yourself?
So glad to see you are safe home! You have already received useful replies, and I don’t rememember! However, If you can suffer the dust, put on your shoes, head out for a wander, and breathe in while you run over everything in your mind.. you will get there. Might I just add: be kind to yourself. You have just done something wonderful, and you deserve to let it inform every last inch of who you are now!
 
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Might I just add: be kind to yourself. You have just done something wonderful, and you deserve to let it inform every last inch of who you are now!
I wish I had thought to say that.;)
Beautiful!
As the daughter of a GP, I have an instinctive aversion to visiting the GP unless I really need to.
Ditto, and for a similar reason (except my Dad was a pathologist :eek:). Watchful waiting will let you know if it's anything important.
 
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I know it’s going to vary a lot based on age, fitness level, how hard you pushed yourself etc, but I would like to get a feel for the range of time it took people to feel normal again!

I arrived at SdC on Saturday, having walked from SJPdP in 38 days, minus a little bus ride because of knee pain. I was exhausted in a way I have never known before. Had 3 days of R&R in a nice apartment in Santiago (OK, the 3rd day we took the bus to Finisterre and did the 9.9K loop), travelled home on Wednesday, and yesterday and today I have been pootling round the house, getting things straight after some building work while we were away. Dust everywhere!

But I have no energy. I want to sit down all the time. Fortunately, I don’t start back to work until a week on Monday.... but there are lots of jobs I want to get done round the house!

How long did it take you to get back to yourself?

It takes me a while (a week or two) to GET OUT OF CAMINO MODE, by that I mean that on our Camino we have a single focus broken down into small parts..... Walk, Wash, Eat, Sleep and repeat.

During the walking part we have our own thoughts, time, space and self awareness.

Come end of Camino, that simplicity is stolen away from us and where for a few precious weeks we could be selfish, to a degree, in thought and deed, we return to where people need us to be what we were before we made our Camino.

I guess for some folks, that's a big return to make, no matter how loving the welcome.

Buen (start planning again) Camino
 
Walking 6 to 12 hours a day is an amount of physical exertion hard to replicate in regular daily life. For example, when long-distance thru-hiking backpackers end their trail time and return home, studies have found that they lose the endorphins their brain had become used to, and they lose the "high" that can come from companionship on the trail, and a sense of being part of something greater.

For me, when I came off my PCT thru-hike -- having walked 2650 miles -- it was among a handful of times that I was in the best shape of my life. But I was also, weirdly, in the worst shape of my life. My legs and shoulders were strong from hiking long distances, day after day, with a 21 pound pack. I had developed great stamina. For about a week, I was on a 'high' from the intensity of being in wilderness for 5 months.

Yet, my body seemed to realize that the physical demands I was asking of it were now done. It acted like it wanted to go on sabbatical and wanted to just kick back into very, very low gear. My legs seemed depleted of any energy, and going up the stairs at home seemed like a huge amount of work. It was as if my arm muscles lost their strength and rebelled at any significant workload. There was no physical illness or injury, so it was almost frustrating that I was feeling this way.

A little of the above probably had to do with a change in diet and activity load. But it probably had more to do with the mental stuff I mentioned above. The interesting thing is, later, when I thru-hiked the Colorado Trail over a 28 day period, I didn't have the same 'symptoms' that I had after the PCT.
 
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.
It takes me a while (a week or two) to GET OUT OF CAMINO MODE, by that I mean that on our Camino we have a single focus broken down into small parts..... Walk, Wash, Eat, Sleep and repeat.

During the walking part we have our own thoughts, time, space and self awareness.

Come end of Camino, that simplicity is stolen away from us and where for a few precious weeks we could be selfish, to a degree, in thought and deed, we return to where people need us to be what we were before we made our Camino.

I guess for some folks, that's a big return to make, no matter how loving the welcome.

Buen (start planning again) Camino

I agree, I wasnt tired afterwards, I just wanted to stay in Camino zone. If I could have I would have just kept going. I was almost in mourning, I missed it so much.
 
For me, when I realized that my Camino was really over and all my friends had scattered to the winds I went into a funk that was mental/emotional but it was also physical. Things hurt more, I was gloomy (as was the weather) and once I accepted the end, I was ready to go home. My funk lasted about 2 weeks but it slowly lifted. I then started planning my next Camino which made me both forget and, smile.

So RevBarbaraG, this too shall pass! The funk will be gone and the good memories will be distilled down to awesome memories.
 
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There’s only one hour difference between Spain and UK, although I was getting up earlier on the Camino, and going to bed a LOT earlier. Going to have to get used to not being in bed for 9.5-10 hours per night.

My healing blisters itch like anything!
Be glad the blisters are healing. I think part of it is psychological as Bradypus and others have indicated. I now go every year and when I am finally unable, don't know how I will handle it!
 
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Getting back to Sydney from Santiago is no small feat. I think I would need a week to combat the jet lag (never less than 22 hrs in planes) and the effects of the time difference
 
I finished my Camino September 30 2017. I have not really reintegrated yet. Or I have but not back to the life I was living before I left. My belongings are in storage, I don't have an apartment or a house. I have been living with different friends and family and have no desire to settle down anywhere. I am 56 and single. I walked the Camino with my daughter who met the love of her life there and has remained in Europe as a result. We are from Canada. I walked with planter fasciitis which has only recently healed...well it has healed but now I have excruciating pain on the top of my foot. I haven't been able to do much of anything physically exerting as a result since I returned. It has been a period of deep healing on many levels. Thankfully I am self employed (I am also an ordained minister) and able to organize my work based on what I feel able
 
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I finished my Camino September 30 2017. I have not really reintegrated yet. Or I have but not back to the life I was living before I left. My belongings are in storage, I don't have an apartment or a house. I have been living with different friends and family and have no desire to settle down anywhere. I am 56 and single. I walked the Camino with my daughter who met the love of her life there and has remained in Europe as a result. We are from Canada. I walked with planter fasciitis which has only recently healed...well it has healed but now I have excruciating pain on the top of my foot. I haven't been able to do much of anything physically exerting as a result since I returned. It has been a period of deep healing on many levels. Thankfully I am self employed (I am also an ordained minister) and able to organize my work based on what I feel able and desirous to do. I am definitely in active transition. The Camino opened my eyes, my heart and my understanding of service. I head to Germany in a few weeks for over a month to finally see my daughter and in spite of the pain, I believe I will commune with a Camino again if only for a brief spell this time. It is with me forever now.
 
My first Camino in 2006 stayed with me for weeks. I did not want to let it go. My family flew over from New Zealand so we could have a holiday in Europe after my walk. I had packed a suitcase of clothes for them to bring for me as I thought i would be over my Camino gear. Strangely I kept on wearing my hiking clothes and did not touch the items in the suitcase. I hobbled for weeks on my legs and feet....since then, now nearly 63 years old I have walked many more routes and clocked up around 7000 plus km on European pilgrim ways and the adjustment afterwards gets easier every time both physically and psychologically ( as long as my next walk is within sight haha!)....
 
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When we slow down dramatically our bodies interpret this as a signal to conserve energy - there’s a while area of research related to elderly that goes into the physiology of this. I’m not done yet but I have a Fitbit and on the Camino it always reaches 10,000 steps before 9:00am. In my life BC (before Camino) I was lucky to get to 10,000 before bedtime. Your body gets used to this after more than a month so normal life must feel - to your body - like something is wrong. I intend to keep hitting 10k steps by early morning for the first few months. I’m also planning to stay as active as possible including a few scheduled mountain hikes. I love living this way (peak physical energy) and really do t want to go back! But if you did, I think scaling back slowly would be best. Congratulations on your finished Camino!!!!!
 
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How long did it take you to get back to yourself?

It still hurts. Without going into too much detail, I've had a 'challenging' childhood to which I responded by being withdrawn and feeling awkward around people. I've come a long way since then, thank goodness, but I've remained what I'd like to call autonomous (and others usually call aloof or just plain weird). Things like feeling at home, fit in and a sense of belonging were extremely rare, a bit like a lightning strike, and seemed impossible to maintain. Until my three month camino in 2016.

Granted, it was a walk that was fraught with its own difficulties, but it was the most earth-shattering experience I ever had. I have never felt more at home and at peace than during those months. I have felt the strongest belonging on a dirt track or gravel path, crossing a river or walking through a forest or an abandoned village. I can honestly say that I found my purpose in life by walking. I was born for this.

But here's the thing: try telling that to your wife and family. Who I love to bits, I might add. Or try to pay the bills with a ramble. So here I am, still reeling from the shock two years later, and it doesn't seem to get a whole lot easier. Torn between two lovers has a whole new meaning for me. But I am eternally grateful that my wife also likes walking, so now we plan hiking holidays and weekends together and I can get a large part of my 'fix' from those.

On the other hand, I am also eternally grateful that I have felt the way I felt during my camino. I now know that those feelings are possible and attainable for me. So I am slowly digesting, thinking and writing, and at the same time painstakingly rearranging things towards my new goal (which still hasn't a distinct shape). Because I am not done with this, and it isn't done with me yet. Thankfully, because I don't want to get back to the 'myself' I was before all this.
 
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I am eternally grateful that my wife also likes walking, so now we plan hiking holidays and weekends together and I can get a large part of my 'fix' from those.
On the other hand, I am also eternally grateful that I have felt the way I felt during my camino. I now know that those feelings are possible and attainable for me.
Thank you for this heartfelt and very beautiful post, @Purky. It no doubt took courage to write that, but others out here will take inspiration from its message of possibility.

And you write so beautifully!
I hope you are keeping some kind of a journal as your life puts itself together in a new way - because there may come a time when you look back and want to share what the camino has opened. The door was there. You walked through it. And as you keep walking, the next thing will appear, like a village along the way.
Buen camino, peregrino.
 
Thank you for this heartfelt and very beautiful post, @Purky. It no doubt took courage to write that, but others out here will take inspiration from its message of possibility.

And you write so beautifully!
I hope you are keeping some kind of a journal as your life puts itself together in a new way - because there may come a time when you look back and want to share what the camino has opened. The door was there. You walked through it. And as you keep walking, the next thing will appear, like a village along the way.
Buen camino, peregrino.

Gracias ;). I am actually writing about the whole experience, which may or may not get published when I have finished it. I'll see by then, it is of no importance right now. Finding the right tone and the right words is what matters at present. Bumbling along, just as I did two years ago..
 
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The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
I am aware that I am experiencing a mild depression after completing my Camino and returning home on April 17th. Even a mild depression has some physical side effects. To counteract the effects of the depression, I continue to find solitude in walking every morning for an hour, remembering to stay as hydrated throughout the day as I did while walking the Camino, and staying connected to the important people from my Camino Family through Facebook. In addition, I am practicing gratitude for my life at home and bringing the same intention to my daily tasks as I did when I was on the Camino. I don’t know when this mild depression will pass, but I accept it as another lesson the Camino is bringing my way.

Prayers for you and for all who face the challenges of leaving the Camino, processing the rich experience it was, re-integrating back into life at home, and finding a new balance and energy for living fully today— in whatever context we find ourselves. Blessings and joy!
 
Gracias ;). I am actually writing about the whole experience, which may or may not get published when I have finished it. I'll see by then, it is of no importance right now. Finding the right tone and the right words is what matters at present. Bumbling along, just as I did two years ago..
That's pretty articulate bumbling, so it's great to hear you're writing - if nothing else it helps digest and integrate what's going on, which is no small thing.
Buen camino and ultreia, @Purky!
 
Life post Camino is probably much harder for many than the challenge of the Camino itself. Certainly the case for me.

I don't really want my pre Camino life back. But it is there. As a duty to others mainly. My challenge is to adapt my 'normal' life to one of simplicity.....

I'm loving the fields, farms and vegetable patches along the way.

Pat and I intend to convert our garden to a city oasis like a spanish vegetable garden. Somewhere we can work for an hour each morning and in some small way sample a simpler life working with soil, weather, and natural things.

I'll have to negotiate with our neighbours to see if I can replace the wooden fences with stones walls !

We are lucky to live in an old cottage and so our Spanish kitchen garden will be right at home .....
 
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