Question - Training for the Camino

[Dave2013]

I'd like to know from past pilgrims that trained for their Camino; what would you have done more of in preparation? Longer walking distances, more aerobic training, more hills or mountains, more training with pack or simply more couch potato time because none of it helped.

Thanks,

 

[Pieces]

last year I trained and got injured and walked in a lot of pain

this year I will stick to establishing wether my shoos give me blisters or not and stick to my regular exersice for the rest

 

[Anniesantiago]

The first time I walked the Camino, my training consisted of regular walks in Forest Park and the Arboretum.

The second time I walked, just my regular exercise, no specific training.

This time, I'm taking long walks, but nothing like I'll be doing on the Camino.
I think it's ok to just go.. start slow... and build up endurance over the first 2 weeks.
I'd say if you can walk 10k without problem, you'll be ok. You can take regular rest stops and go at a reasonable pace.

Like the previous poster, the larger issue, for me, is the right shoes so you do not have to deal with blisters.

 

[sulu]

When I was first looking at doing the camino someone had posted the advice; not to do the camino before doing the camino. This seemed sensible.
I also read the advice; to walk every day for the preceding month to 6 weeks, 6kms a day with a couple of longer days(+/-20kms) per week. I went with this and it seemed to work. I don't have the strength of mind to work too hard unless I really have to, I just broke in my boots and accustomed myself to going out everyday, whether I felt like it or not.
It's surprising how different life is on the camino. My biggest concern was whether I would wake up in the mornings :lol:
Sue

 

[Deleted member 3000]

The Camino is not easy, so do not be too dismissive of training. Get your boots worn in, and walk some with you pack to condition the muscles that carry it. Remember that your shoe will fit differently with another 20# of weight on your feet. Lose some weight if you can, and exercise regularly. The first week will be your best conditioning, so use it as you would the gym -- push yourself a bit, but not too much. Do not try to do a journeyman's day at the beginning, and you will do fine. If you push too hard too early, you are likely to injure yourself. Act your age!!!

 

[tyrrek]

I think it's ok to just go.. start slow... and build up endurance over the first 2 weeks.
I'd say if you can walk 10k without problem, you'll be ok. You can take regular rest stops and go at a reasonable pace.

Like the previous poster, the larger issue, for me, is the right shoes so you do not have to deal with blisters.

I agree, unless you have any particular health/fitness issues to be aware of. Your feet/legs will hurt at some stage, so just be conscious of your abilities. Maybe the best training for walking is just...walking.

 

[grilly]

For our first Camino in 2005, we trained well. The following years, we did not really, which turned out fine for my husband, but not for me. This year, I intend to train. I would like to get to the point where I can walk 20 ks a few times. Then I'll feel ready (over a two months period). Otherwise, I fear, I will hurt myself again.
As to acting my age, I will be 66 this fall. So I don't know whether I should start acting my age... or forget about my age

 

[Anniesantiago]

My first impulse was to say, "Awww heck, just forget about it!"

But realistically and actually, I know that it is not that easy.

Last summer I was out in the river crawdadding with my grandkids, NOT acting my age.
I slipped on some rocks and broke three ribs.
They healed... almost... and 3 months later I sneezed and rebroke them all again.
It was a very painful experience.

That, combined with another fall I took on the ice has changed my view about acting my age.

Today, I took a long hike up a desert canyon where there was a bit of rock scrambling to be done.
I have done this hike many times with no problems.
However, today, at the top of one cliff, I froze.
I found myself, for the first time in my life, afraid of falling.

I think it's a bit like being afraid of chihauhaus after being bit by a pit bull when I was 20.
Probably not logical at all.

But logical or not, the fear was real, and I find myself acting more my age these days.
I did not like having broken ribs.
I did not like having a bruise the size of a large watermelon on my hip.
I am not as quick on my feet or as steady as I was at 20.
It's just a fact of life.

And so... even though maybe I won't act SIXTY... I may act more 45 than 20??? :wink:

 

[mspath]

As Annie implies time takes its toll.

Hiking 20 k up the 1060 meter Ibaneta pass via the Valcarlos route the first time in 2004 at 64 to the monastery at Roncevalles was one of the most difficult days on the Camino and certainly the most physically exhausting day of my adult life then to date. I was pooped! Although I had hiked throughout the summer in preparation for the trip, nothing had prepared me for such an effort. Beneath a deep blue sky and brilliant sun I gasped and ached while my pack weighed like bricks. But eventually I made it to Santiago walking all the way.

On that first Camino I learned the hard way that this is NOT a walk in the park! Just because so many pilgrims have been successful does not guarantee that you will be. Anybody any moment can fall or pull or break anything. The most common injury is the result of trying to walk too far too quickly carrying too much!

Thus for all the my other Caminos 2005 through 2007 I started walking slowly and very easy for the first week. Daily distances cited in the guidebooks are not sacred; do not attempt 40 km the first day! Easy does it. Be a snail; slow but, determined. Consider the topography and the weather plus your health and pack weight as well as personal strength and ability to endure.

Nevertheless, even now at 73 what still matters for me is to DO IT!

Ultreia!

Margaret

 

[JohnnieWalker]

The most common injury is the result of trying to walk too far too quickly carrying too much! Margaret

Thanks Margaret - that accurate analysis should be printed in huge bold letters on everything that has to do with long distance walking!

 

[yogabanana]

Margaret..... ! Wonderful advice! !!!

 

[julie]

I was in a bushwalking club before I went on the Camino so was fit (though I didn't realise it at the time) and used to walking in sometimes challenging terrain. To train for the Camino I started putting extra in my backpack to get used to the weight and then left the car at home a few days a week and walked about 5km on the way to and from work.

There's always the (self-imposed) pressure to prepare yourself but you never know when you are ready. How many people could say with any confidence that they are capable of walking 780km? At some stage you just have to let go, have faith and start walking. Listen to your body and don't try to push it too hard, particularly in the early days. It's not a race.

 

[Stephen Nicholls]

As to acting my age, I will be 66 this fall. So I don't know whether I should start acting my age... or forget about my age

Listen, youngster, age is just a number on a piece of paper. It means nothing. I'm starting the Via de la Plata in a fortnight. My piece of paper says 73 - but it's just a number! Just relax and enjoy.....
Buen camino!
Stephen
http://www.calig.co.uk/camino_de_santiago.htm

 

[dazzamac]

Whether you regard it as training or preparation, I think it's important to break in shoes, boots, backpacks, etc well before you depart. I think it's equally important to have a general level of fitness before you go.

There's no need to be excessive, and there's certainly elements of the Camino that you can't prepare for without actually walking the Camino but you should have a sense of your limits before you go. You may find yourself exceeding them over the course of the Camino but trying to push too hard, too soon is always going to cause problems.

So don't stress about training. Look on it as an opportunity to improve your general fitness. A part of the Camino's power to change before you even get to the Camino at all!

 

[suekenney]

A strong will gets you a long way on the Camino. When preparing people to walk I've found that a 6 week to 2 month preparation practice is enough. Avoid injury at all costs. Most boots/shoes don't require as much breaking in because they aren't leather anymore. My philosophy is to teach the body/mind that walking is a state of being, not physical exercise. By walking 3-4 kms every other day at first, and then everyday, then 2x a day a couple times a week. One day a week do an extra long walk and increase the distance each week. Take one day off each week. Wear your pack 5 weeks before leaving with 5lbs in it. Add 2 lbs a week. Do what works with your lifestyle. If you miss a walk, don't worry about it. Once you get on the Camino, the energy of the other people and The Way will help you to keep going. I always add a dose of Trust-that everything is perfect as it is-to my preparation. And keep it simple just like a pilgrim.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

A strong will gets you a long way on the Camino.

A strong will is essential, but a strong ego is not. I just finished a walk with someone with a stubborn streak, and on day seven of nine, he pulled up lame with tendonitis due to the middle-aged thought, "I can do more than this." He did Arzua to Santiago in a bus because he could not do "more than this." Repetitive stress injuries occur when someone does not know his limits. It probably is a bad idea to find that limit by going past it. If you would not test the limits of your vehicle engine by revving it until it explodes, do not test your body by seeing when it will break. Non-destructive testing is the concept. Perhaps it is a difference between a strong will and a strong ego.

 

[JohnnieWalker]

The most common injury is the result of trying to walk too far too quickly carrying too much! Margaret

 

[suibhne1]

" And keep it simple just like a pilgrim."

Love this!

 

[vagabondette]

I have not been able to train as much as I'd hoped but I'll use the camino itself to train. I'm not on a schedule, so I'll just walk as far as I can each day and then stop. I am used to walking though as I've not owned a car in over a decade so I'm not too worried about it.

 

[KiwiNomad06]

I walked a lot of the hills near my place, up and down many times in the months before I left. At first I found them hard, but by the time I left they were quite easy. I was glad I had done that as it turned out, as the hills up and down up and down up and down on the first four days of the Cluny route were much harder and longer than the hills I had trained on. If I hadn't trained as much as I did, I might have ended up needing to pull off the route.
Margaret

 

[rickster]

As important as fitness, in my opinion, is knowing your equipment and how it works for you. Experimenting with a new backpack, socks, shoes, etc for the first time when you arrive to walk the Camino may prove to be painful. I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't even know how to correctly adjust my new backpack, went with recommendations on socks from the forum without experimenting for long distances, and thought by being in good shape I could overcome everything. Not too smart, but after a major blister and much knee and neck pain, fortunately persevered until I figured it all out.
A lot of people can walk a few km's for a few days with almost any equipment, but the cumulative pounding on your body for over month can take a toll.

 

[Kitsambler]

At least as far as the routes in France and farther east are concerned, training for hills is essential. Whether you climb hills on your local trails, or climb the bleachers (seats) at your local school stadium, you need to climb ... 2-3 times a week, for at least an hour each session. In addition to building the specific muscles used for hill climbs and descents, this also has the effect of interval training - which is proven to be the best builder of cardio stamina.

Also, you could build up your hiking load to more than your anticipated weight, to enhance the training effect even more.

 

[katiawt]

At least as far as the routes in France and farther east are concerned, training for hills is essential. Whether you climb hills on your local trails, or climb the bleachers (seats) at your local school stadium, you need to climb ... 2-3 times a week, for at least an hour each session. In addition to building the specific muscles used for hill climbs and descents, this also has the effect of interval training - which is proven to be the best builder of cardio stamina.

Also, you could build up your hiking load to more than your anticipated weight, to enhance the training effect even more.

WOW !! An hour climbing bleachers ??? I cant do that, no way
But I´v been on the camino 9 times.
I believe in training and being fit but I believe that even 1/2 hour climbing bleachers is too much...
Katia