The Training

First of all, it should be said that though we are well into our sixties, we have both lived very active lifestyles.  Peggy has run a ½ Marathon and also biked the Seattle to Portland route (100 miles a day) in recent times.  I have also completed a marathon and a triathlon and have also taught aerobics and fitness classes.  That being said, the prospect of walking that many miles requires training.  Our years of experience have taught us that there is no substitute or cross-training that can replace the specific activity that you are going to do.  “Road time” is essential.

And so, we both joined the Mountain West Hiking Club in our hometown of Boise, Idaho.  This gave us some structure to our training regimen, which basically included weekly group hikes.  Peggy does the more strenuous Wednesday hikes and I participate in the more casual Tuesday or Thursday outings.  I say ‘participate’ with reservation.  Because of my necessarily slower pace, I usually arrive a half hour or so before the scheduled starting time and start off on my own.  I know how long the hikes are so I just time it so that I can finish about the same time as the regular group.  Most times, I pass them on my way back.  This is not ideal for socialization, but it works for me.

In addition, I walk 6 days a week at my own slow pace.  How slow is slow?  I needed to get past the psychological challenge of being slower than everyone else.  During the typical walk, elderly people, young mothers with strollers, dog walkers and bird watchers all pass me.  They smile as they pass me with my cane and iPod ear buds on.  It is okay though.  I am in no hurry to get anywhere.  It took me a while to get past this.  Having always been a competitor, being last every time grates on you.   But I’ve made my peace with this. 

I know that to average the 11 or so miles a day on the Camino, it will take me a minimum of 5 ½ hours.  That’s if I walk straight through with no stops.  That’s a lot of time on one’s feet.  As my friend Jeanne S. told me, it’s not the walking of the 11 miles that get to you; it’s doing it day after day after day that takes its toll on your feet/body.  And so, like I said, there’s no substitute for ‘road time.’

As you might imagine, Peggy’s training schedule is different than mine.  She does more hills to ready herself for her trip across the Pyrenees.  Many times, we start off together but rather than walking together, we set a prescribed time in which we meet back at the starting point.  This is usually 2 to 3 hours.  That seems to be working.  Both of us have gone through a few pair of shoes.  Because of my toe situation (amputations), I am highly conscious of fit and proper wear.  I have settled on my trusty pair of LL Bean Knife Edge Goretex boots.  These are leather, but I’ve had them for a while and they work the best.  I’ve also gone through two pair of Merrell’s, one high top and one standard walker.  They work fine, but it seems that the Goretex used in them do not allow as much breathing as the LL Bean’s.  Therefore, they get hotter, and we’ve been training through both the Idaho snow and the 100-degree weather.

Yes, we use trekking poles.  I find they give me better balance and for some reason, I seem to be able to keep better pace with them.  Many of my training walks through town, I use my regular cane.  I will carry both the poles and a collapsible cane with me on the Camino.

One of the things I remember from my running days was that the end of a 26-miler was great, but not as great as the weeks/months of training that preceded the finish line.  I remember the book I used was called the “Zen of Running.”  See reviews at http://www.amazon.com/The-Zen-Running-Fred-Rohe/dp/B000GRFCZU#customerReviews  If there is a spiritual nature to the Camino de Santiago, I think it will be like this for me.  I am fascinated by the story of Santiago (St. James) and intrigued that folks like St. Francis of Assisi walked this path 800 years ago, but I have already found many revelations just through my training hikes.  When one walks alone for as many hours as I have, many thoughts, some profound, mostly not, go through one’s head.

And so, the training is not only physical, but also emotional and spiritual.  With less than 3 weeks before we start, I think I am prepared.