kristenwalks
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- Time of past OR future Camino
- CF, 04/2022 CP Central, 05/2023 Next: CI, 05/2024
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Like you, I walked the Frances last year and will walk from Porto in mid April this year. Since you have already done one Camino, you actually have the best training lesson in the bag: you know you can do this. You can walk slow and short distances if that suits you.In May I’ll be doing my second Camino (Camino Portugues from Porto). My first was last April (Camino Frances). I walk a ton normally and didn’t do any training for my first Camino, but am curious any recommendations/to hear what everyone else does.
I spend about six weeks with concentrated training with emphasis on time walking as opposed to miles. I start out walking for two hours, stop/rest, then walk back to the beginning. I increase the time and eventually will hit walking 8 hours with the appropriate resting, eating. I start out wearing my backpack with about 1/2 the weight I will carry and then increase to what I know the weight will be on the Camino. I will be doing my 4th Camino this April(del Norte).In May I’ll be doing my second Camino (Camino Portugues from Porto). My first was last April (Camino Frances). I walk a ton normally and didn’t do any training for my first Camino, but am curious any recommendations/to hear what everyone else does.
... I live in Wisconsin so walking outside is not an option for me right now (cold, snow, ice) ...
I should have chosen my words differently, I won’t walk outside in the winter rather than can’t.I live in New Hampshire where we also get cold, snow and ice, yet I still get out during the winter and walk when possible.
I prefer to walk on trails through the park, but during winter I do most of my walking on neighborhood roads and school parking lot that are cleared of snow.
-Paul
You could throw in some exercises for balance improvement also to be ready to handle missteps on cobblestones and the like.As to training, there are really two different parts to focus on:
1. Cardiovascular fitness.
2. Muscle strengthening.
Fully agree. I think if you can do 10k reasonably comfortably then you can do up to 25 comfortably with breaks. And that’s what we try and limit our stages to10 k every few days I find it’s more than enough. A month before a camino the same with a backpack. That’s plenty. After the first week on the camino you find your rhythm and strike the right fitness level anyway.
a treadmill works adequately until you can walk hills. Bleacher stairs, Stadium stairs, home stairs, etc will also helpMy first Camino will begin in May. I am following a distance walking plan I found online. I am the kind of person who needs to follow something specific or I will tend to do nothing. This week’s maximum is 7 miles and it builds each week. Keeps me motivated, I have a set plan, and I am using the walks to test things like shoes and clothing. I am also doing some strength training as directed by a physical therapist.
My biggest concern is hills. I live in Wisconsin so walking outside is not an option for me right now (cold, snow, ice) and I hate treadmills. I have been walking on an indoor track. At some point I am going to have to do something about that. I remember reading once here where someone suggested walking in parking ramps. That might be a good option once the weather improves in a few weeks.
I highly recommend stairs over treadmill so you get the downhill, too. Garage ramps, if safe, would be similar to the paved slabs in some parts of the second and third days after sjpp. Also, if any old landfills have been converted to grass-covered hills near you, try those. I hike up and down the 50-foot “Mount Trashmore” near me, which has been a sledding hill and training hill for the Northwestern University football team for years.a treadmill works adequately until you can walk hills. Bleacher stairs, Stadium stairs, home stairs, etc will also help
I was young for my 1989 Camino and could do anything. I didn't do any training for my 2016 Camino and made it from Roncesvalles to Finisterre, but not without my fair share of pain. And I well remember many evenings early in the Camino hobbling around as if I were in my 90s.In May I’ll be doing my second Camino (Camino Portugues from Porto). My first was last April (Camino Frances). I walk a ton normally and didn’t do any training for my first Camino, but am curious any recommendations/to hear what everyone else does.
I should have chosen my words differently, I won’t walk outside in the winter rather than can’t.
Sure, but I am fairly confident that I will not encounter Wisconsin-style winter weather in May and June, so I think I will be fine. I never said anywhere that I only will walk in picture perfect weather.On the Camino, you have to keep walking no matter the weather. It could be too hot, too cold, too rainy or too snowy, but you still need to get out and walk the best you can. It's best to practice walking in all kinds of weather.
-Paul
With respect, no-one should think they have to keep walking no matter the weather.On the Camino, you have to keep walking no matter the weather. It could be too hot, too cold, too rainy or too snowy, but you still need to get out and walk the best you can. It's best to practice walking in all kinds of weather.
-Paul
Incredibly helpful. Thank you!Fitness in preparation for Camino is a positive thing to do, but you need to be deliberate about how you proceed. You have enough time to make a significant increase from where you are now, without frantically pushing yourself too hard and beyond your body's ability to recuperate from each exercise session. That same deliberation will help prevent injury as well. Be consistent and patient. If you would like other more specific guidelines and suggestions, send me a PM.
This is a guide I had posted a while back.
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As to training, there are really two different parts to focus on:
1. Cardiovascular fitness.
2. Muscle strengthening.
Cardiovascular fitness is the ability for your heart and lungs to supply oxygenated blood to your muscles during exercise under load, and your muscles ability to use that oxygen efficiently so they can produce energy.
Exercises should be used which will allow you to hit a target heart rate zone, over a for a period of time during exercising, which provides the needed aerobic effort for conditioning. This is a website which will help you calculate what your target heart rate zones will be.
https://www.lifespanfitness.com/fitness/resources/target-heart-rate-calculator
Treadmills at incline, running, walking at a faster than normal pace, walking up hills, rowing machines, HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workouts, riding a bicycle at a faster than normal pace, swimming, etc. are all examples of effective aerobic exercises when used to achieve target heart rates.
Keep in mind that as your fitness level improves, it will take a more sustained effort to hit the same heart rate zones. That is why using target zones is so effective. They don't change relative to fitness level. Someone extremely out of shape does not exercise as hard as someone who is extremely fit to reach their target.
Muscle strength is a function of how much maximum force your muscles can exert against resistance. Exercises for strength will also provide a temporary aerobic effect, but the main goal is to increase your capability to function while under resistance.
Think about having to lift the weight of your body, with a pack, with each step going up the Pyrenees. Or being able to lift and carry a load. Or the constant resistance of your body weight and pack to your shoulders and to the 'core' muscles in your back and abdomen.
Some basic strengthening exercises for home include push-ups, lunges, squats and planks. A google search will show you the way to do these exercises.
Other conditioning issues involve things like ankles, feet, and flexibility. Do a search on this forum for posts about exercises to help prevent shin splints and to help prevent plantars fasciitis.
As your departure date nears and you've been involved in your fitness regimen for the next 6 weeks or so, rather than your routine exercise schedule, put on the clothing and footwear you will be using on Camino, load up your pack, and spend the next several days in a row walking. See how you feel and at what pace you are able to best sustain yourself. That will give you a baseline estimate to calculate logistical issues surrounding the question of how many days it may take to walk your Camino.
More than anything else, enjoy the entire process of getting ready for Camino. Write down your reasons for doing your camino: list your personal goals for doing Camino, and what type of experience you are hoping for. If you become discouraged with your preparations, or feel anxious and overwhelmed, or get a bit of cold feet about leaving home for the camino, or simply to refresh your resolve anew, review what you have written to yourself.
With respect, no-one should think they have to keep walking no matter the weather.
That's one of the reasons that rescue crews risk their lives.
If you choose to follow the chain of quotes back the the person being advised to be able to walk in all weathers is planning on a May/June camino and resides in Wisconsin where, Google tells me, the average daily temperature is currently between -5 and -6 Celcius, about 22 F.This is why practice at home is important in all types of weather, so you get experience of how to dress properly for all reasonable walking conditions and learn to skip the walk when unsafe.
Your advice on maintaining a fitness level is well advised.I am always curious about these threads about 'training for the Camino.' My curiosity is that prior to the decision to walk a Camino, was physical health, general fitness and stamina and a good diet not a priority in your life?
It has always been a life goal for me to maintain a high level of fitness and certainly now that I am in my sixties, the benefits of this mindset are really paying off. I can't recall a day that I haven't done something fitness related. It doesn’t need to take hours a day for basic fitness training, just motivation.
So yes, training as suggested by many others in this thread are well advised and will make your Camino walk more enjoyable and lower the possibilities of injuries.
However, if your current mindset and lifestyle doesn't prioritize excellent fitness as a life goal, then maybe one needs to make some changes to their priorities.
I have been sectionally doing New Zealand's TA. The terrain here is rather challenging, so the Camino 'should' be manageable.Fully agree. I think if you can do 10k reasonably comfortably then you can do up to 25 comfortably with breaks. And that’s what we try and limit our stages to
HI AnneO - can you share the distance walking plan link please? I'm the same way, without a clear plan I flounder and default to nothing. Thanks much, hope your Camino went smoothly!My first Camino will begin in May. I am following a distance walking plan I found online. I am the kind of person who needs to follow something specific or I will tend to do nothing. This week’s maximum is 7 miles and it builds each week. Keeps me motivated, I have a set plan, and I am using the walks to test things like shoes and clothing. I am also doing some strength training as directed by a physical therapist.
My biggest concern is hills. I live in Wisconsin so walking outside is not an option for me right now (cold, snow, ice) and I hate treadmills. I have been walking on an indoor track. At some point I am going to have to do something about that. I remember reading once here where someone suggested walking in parking ramps. That might be a good option once the weather improves in a few weeks.
My Camino was wonderful, thank you. I miss being there every day.HI AnneO - can you share the distance walking plan link please? I'm the same way, without a clear plan I flounder and default to nothing. Thanks much, hope your Camino went smoothly!
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