Saying Hi and sharing some worries

[mad milly]

Hi I and my husband are walking from St Jean on 15 April. It has been my dream and I wanted to walk during the time I would turn 50. We booked our non transferable flights in October last year. Since that time I have been significantly unwell and am much less fit than I usually would be. I am also much less prepared than I anticipated.
Crazy how plans can "turn to custard". Yesterday we had our walking and running shoes, and the boots we had purchased and broken in for the Camino stolen. I now feel very concerned as so many times I have read people say how essential it is to have broken in the footwear prior to beginning. Now we don't even have our normal walking and running shoes. Perhaps all part of our Camino journey?

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Most modern footwear does not need to be broken in. Just be sure it fits. Your old boots probably provided the foot and ankle support you need, so find a similar replacement.

 

[nycwalking]

You will be okay. From your first steps to your last on the way you will strengthen: mind, soul, and body.
Buen camino to both you and your husband.
Enjoy.

 

[lettinggo]

Hi I and my husband are walking from St Jean on 15 April. It has been my dream and I wanted to walk during the time I would turn 50. We booked our non transferable flights in October last year. Since that time I have been significantly unwell and am much less fit than I usually would be. I am also much less prepared than I anticipated.
Crazy how plans can "turn to custard". Yesterday we had our walking and running shoes, and the boots we had purchased and broken in for the Camino stolen. I now feel very concerned as so many times I have read people say how essential it is to have broken in the footwear prior to beginning. Now we don't even have our normal walking and running shoes. Perhaps all part of our Camino journey?

Hola and welcome to the forum.

When I walked my first Camino, I had to change boots two days before my departure.
It turned out to be problem at all with minimum amount of foot issues.
Of course it will be different for different people so I cannot say you wont have a problem, but I think it should not hold one back from trying to do a Camino.
A good advice, in my opinion, is to focus on getting to ones starting point and then take it a day at the time.
Do remember to take it slow for the first week.
Let your feet, and body adjust to the effort you are applying to yourself.
Maybe go extra slow with new boots and change socks a couple of times a day.
When you take breaks, remove your boots and allow your feet to breath.
And the all the personalized prefferences regarding foot care can be applied: two parir of socks, vaseline, and much more.

I hope this helps.
Buen Camino
Lettinggo

 

[Robo]

Hi I and my husband are walking from St Jean on 15 April. It has been my dream and I wanted to walk during the time I would turn 50. We booked our non transferable flights in October last year. Since that time I have been significantly unwell and am much less fit than I usually would be. I am also much less prepared than I anticipated.
Crazy how plans can "turn to custard". Yesterday we had our walking and running shoes, and the boots we had purchased and broken in for the Camino stolen. I now feel very concerned as so many times I have read people say how essential it is to have broken in the footwear prior to beginning. Now we don't even have our normal walking and running shoes. Perhaps all part of our Camino journey?

I can understand your concerns over footwear. But as mentioned above, modern footwear doesn't really need breaking in.

When I bought my boots a year before my first Camino, the discussion in the store went like this.......

"I need a pair of comfortable, supportive, lightweight boots to walk 8oo kms on the Camino"

OK try these on. (Saloman GTX mids)

"Wow, they feel like bedroom slippers! How long to break them in do you think"?

No need, they're ready to go...... (and they were)

"Well shouldn't I try a couple more for comparison"?

If you want to........but these are the best.

"I did......and they were. And they were great"


So.........just pop out and replace your footwear. The 'wearing in' is probably more for your feet these days, than the footwear! And you've done that already

And as for being unfit and unprepared..... On my first Camino I developed Achilles Tendonitis in training, and could barely walk for 6 weeks before I departed. And about 2 weeks before departure I was bed ridden with back pain. Oh and I was also about 10 kgs above my intended walking weight.

The day I arrived in Paris was the first day I had worn my loaded pack in about 2 months and the first time I had walked more than about 500 metres in 6 weeks. The walk to the station was rather painful

But it only got better from there on. It's amazing what happens when you hoist your pack and get started on your first Camino day....all worries fade away.....and you just cope.......and your Spirits will soar

 

[mad milly]

I can understand your concerns over footwear. But as mentioned above, modern footwear doesn't really need breaking in.

When I bought my boots a year before my first Camino, the discussion in the store went like this.......

"I need a pair of comfortable, supportive, lightweight boots to walk 8oo kms on the Camino"

OK try these on. (Saloman GTX mids)

"Wow, they feel like bedroom slippers! How long to break them in do you think"?

No need, they're ready to go...... (and they were)

"Well shouldn't I try a couple more for comparison"?

If you want to........but these are the best.

"I did......and they were. And they were great"


So.........just pop out and replace your footwear. The 'wearing in' is probably more for your feet these days, than the footwear! And you've done that already

And as for being unfir and unprepared..... On my first Camino I developed Achilles Tendonitis in training, and could barely walk for 6 weeks before I departed. And about 2 weeks before departure I was bed ridden with back pain. Oh and I was also about 10 kgs above my intended walking weight.

The day I arrived in Paris was the first day I had worn my loaded pack in about 2 months and the first time I had walked more than about 500 metres in 6 weeks. The walk to the station was rather painful

But it only got better from there on. It's amazing what happens when you hoist your pack and get started on your first Camino day....all worries fade away.....and you just cope.......and your Spirits will soar [/

 

[mad milly]

I can understand your concerns over footwear. But as mentioned above, modern footwear doesn't really need breaking in.

When I bought my boots a year before my first Camino, the discussion in the store went like this.......

"I need a pair of comfortable, supportive, lightweight boots to walk 8oo kms on the Camino"

OK try these on. (Saloman GTX mids)

"Wow, they feel like bedroom slippers! How long to break them in do you think"?

No need, they're ready to go...... (and they were)

"Well shouldn't I try a couple more for comparison"?

If you want to........but these are the best.

"I did......and they were. And they were great"


So.........just pop out and replace your footwear. The 'wearing in' is probably more for your feet these days, than the footwear! And you've done that already

And as for being unfir and unprepared..... On my first Camino I developed Achilles Tendonitis in training, and could barely walk for 6 weeks before I departed. And about 2 weeks before departure I was bed ridden with back pain. Oh and I was also about 10 kgs above my intended walking weight.

The day I arrived in Paris was the first day I had worn my loaded pack in about 2 months and the first time I had walked more than about 500 metres in 6 weeks. The walk to the station was rather painful

But it only got better from there on. It's amazing what happens when you hoist your pack and get started on your first Camino day....all worries fade away.....and you just cope.......and your Spirits will soar

Thank you! Sometimes (or often) life doesn't go the way we plan it.

 

[Robo]

Thank you! Sometimes (or often) life doesn't go the way we plan it.

And on the Camino, it certainly doesn't always go as planned. So get used to it !

But..........when your plans get trashed.........very often even better things emerge

I was actually glad that I started out injured. It made me slow down and appreciate every single day that I could keep going..........

 

[Kanga]

@mad milly if you are worried, a pair of hiking sandals make a good backstop.

 

[mad milly]

@mad milly if you are worried, a pair of hiking sandals make a good backstop.

Yes I think that will be a good plan. Thank you

 

[mad milly]

I can understand your concerns over footwear. But as mentioned above, modern footwear doesn't really need breaking in.

When I bought my boots a year before my first Camino, the discussion in the store went like this.......

"I need a pair of comfortable, supportive, lightweight boots to walk 8oo kms on the Camino"

OK try these on. (Saloman GTX mids)

"Wow, they feel like bedroom slippers! How long to break them in do you think"?

No need, they're ready to go...... (and they were)

"Well shouldn't I try a couple more for comparison"?

If you want to........but these are the best.

"I did......and they were. And they were great"


So.........just pop out and replace your footwear. The 'wearing in' is probably more for your feet these days, than the footwear! And you've done that already

And as for being unfir and unprepared..... On my first Camino I developed Achilles Tendonitis in training, and could barely walk for 6 weeks before I departed. And about 2 weeks before departure I was bed ridden with back pain. Oh and I was also about 10 kgs above my intended walking weight.

The day I arrived in Paris was the first day I had worn my loaded pack in about 2 months and the first time I had walked more than about 500 metres in 6 weeks. The walk to the station was rather painful

But it only got better from there on. It's amazing what happens when you hoist your pack and get started on your first Camino day....all worries fade away.....and you just cope.......and your Spirits will soar

Oh I am soooo looking forward to my spirits soaring! I will focus on that thought

 

[Waka]

You'll do fine, from what you have said so far you have the right frame of mind. Life has a habit of doing what we think are wrong turns, but in actual fact they are for the good. You know the old saying "One door closes and the other one slams in your face" but eventually the right one opens.
Just go with the flow and enjoy the whole experience, as for training you'll get that on the journey, although it's best to have done a little before you go, but if not don't worry. Just take your time, enjoy your surroundings and the people you'll meet on the way.

 

[Coleen Clark]

Hi I and my husband are walking from St Jean on 15 April. It has been my dream and I wanted to walk during the time I would turn 50. We booked our non transferable flights in October last year. Since that time I have been significantly unwell and am much less fit than I usually would be. I am also much less prepared than I anticipated.
Crazy how plans can "turn to custard". Yesterday we had our walking and running shoes, and the boots we had purchased and broken in for the Camino stolen. I now feel very concerned as so many times I have read people say how essential it is to have broken in the footwear prior to beginning. Now we don't even have our normal walking and running shoes. Perhaps all part of our Camino journey?

If your physical endurance is not what you think it should be, please book a room at Orrison. The first day is UPHILL and steep, and since you will not have your Camino stride yet that road to Roncesville is l-o-n-g. Orrison fills up quickly, so get on the computer and get crack a lackin' now. You'll thank me later.
You are right when you say your Camino has already started with the loss of your shoes. Things happen on the Camino (and before it, and after it) that have no explanation other than magic. Poof. Alacazam. Abracadabra. Or Divine Intervention. Whatever you want to call it, don't spend too much time trying to figure it out.
You won't.
You will not be centered or focused or happy with your life until you finish what you began, and for you that is the Camino. It began the minute you decided to walk. Everything else is just details.
Ultrea!

 

[jpflavin1]

Hi I and my husband are walking from St Jean on 15 April. It has been my dream and I wanted to walk during the time I would turn 50. We booked our non transferable flights in October last year. Since that time I have been significantly unwell and am much less fit than I usually would be. I am also much less prepared than I anticipated.
Crazy how plans can "turn to custard". Yesterday we had our walking and running shoes, and the boots we had purchased and broken in for the Camino stolen. I now feel very concerned as so many times I have read people say how essential it is to have broken in the footwear prior to beginning. Now we don't even have our normal walking and running shoes. Perhaps all part of our Camino journey?

Mad Milly:

You still have two weeks. I usually only put about 30 miles on my new shoes before walking a Camino.

All new shoes are a little stiff and require some level of breaking in to make sure they accommodate your foot. This is a minor setback exclusive of the additional cost.

Ultreya,
Joe

 

[piggyhinton]

Hi I and my husband are walking from St Jean on 15 April. It has been my dream and I wanted to walk during the time I would turn 50. We booked our non transferable flights in October last year. Since that time I have been significantly unwell and am much less fit than I usually would be. I am also much less prepared than I anticipated.
Crazy how plans can "turn to custard". Yesterday we had our walking and running shoes, and the boots we had purchased and broken in for the Camino stolen. I now feel very concerned as so many times I have read people say how essential it is to have broken in the footwear prior to beginning. Now we don't even have our normal walking and running shoes. Perhaps all part of our Camino journey?

my last Camino my boots sprung a leak after 2 days but on arrival at Zubiri there was a lovely sport shop just near the high street, I got a new set of boots straight from the box, and after another 700 km or so I walked into SDC no problems at all. Modern boots are pretty forgiving and require minimal break in time, not like the old fashioned leather ones, Buen Camino

 

[piggyhinton]

Hi I and my husband are walking from St Jean on 15 April. It has been my dream and I wanted to walk during the time I would turn 50. We booked our non transferable flights in October last year. Since that time I have been significantly unwell and am much less fit than I usually would be. I am also much less prepared than I anticipated.
Crazy how plans can "turn to custard". Yesterday we had our walking and running shoes, and the boots we had purchased and broken in for the Camino stolen. I now feel very concerned as so many times I have read people say how essential it is to have broken in the footwear prior to beginning. Now we don't even have our normal walking and running shoes. Perhaps all part of our Camino journey?

As the German general Moltka said, "No plan survives the first contact with the enemy!" you will do fine you have the right mental attitude!

 

[VNwalking]

The best laid plans of mice and men...welcome to the Camino!

I'm sorry about your shoes, @mad milly , that's definitely a bummer. But not to worry. Find a replacement that works and just go--the rest takes care of itself.
And you'll get fit as you walk, so long as you don't push too much in the first days.
One step after another--and you already know how to do that, so it's all you really need.
Everything else is extra.
Buen Camino and ultreia!

 

[mad milly]

You'll do fine, from what you have said so far you have the right frame of mind. Life has a habit of doing what we think are wrong turns, but in actual fact they are for the good. You know the old saying "One door closes and the other one slams in your face" but eventually the right one opens.
Just go with the flow and enjoy the whole experience, as for training you'll get that on the journey, although it's best to have done a little before you go, but if not don't worry. Just take your time, enjoy your surroundings and the people you'll meet on the way.

Thank you Waka

 

[mad milly]

If your physical endurance is not what you think it should be, please book a room at Orrison. The first day is UPHILL and steep, and since you will not have your Camino stride yet that road to Roncesville is l-o-n-g. Orrison fills up quickly, so get on the computer and get crack a lackin' now. You'll thank me later.
You are right when you say your Camino has already started with the loss of your shoes. Things happen on the Camino (and before it, and after it) that have no explanation other than magic. Poof. Alacazam. Abracadabra. Or Divine Intervention. Whatever you want to call it, don't spend too much time trying to figure it out.
You won't.
You will not be centered or focused or happy with your life until you finish what you began, and for you that is the Camino. It began the minute you decided to walk. Everything else is just details.
Ultrea!

Thank you Coleen. Yes we have a booking at Orisson. From all I had read on the forum I was planning to start of as gently as possible.

 

[Becky S.]

My twin sister and I are walking part of the Camino (June/July) for our 50th birthday, too! Cheers!

 

[Playful Dread]

Thank you! Sometimes (or often) life doesn't go the way we plan it.

Someone once said to me "When WE make plans, God laughs!". It probably took me a while before that became fully conscious through experiencing such 'mad' events in my life, but I got there in the end!

Have an amazing time!
Bom Caminho!

 

[mad milly]

Thanks to all who have taken the time to respond. So value the support and encouragement.