Training Regimen

Now that we are well and truly in Lent, our serious training has begun. Prior to the beginning of February, Francine and I were hiking the weekends and I was walking about two miles a day during my commute.

Now we’ve got a slightly more intensive plan.

I’m well aware that there’s a school of thought that says you can’t really train for the Camino, or that your first week walking the Camino is your training. I get that.

The only way to condition your body to walk 25 km a day is to walk 25 km a day.

But there’s no sense in being completely unprepared.

The programme we’re following was developed for distance walkers in Australia. Each day is something different: Monday a brisk walk, Tuesday a leisurely one, Wednesday rest and stretch, Thursday hills with packs, etc.

Each week, the amount of time or distance in each activity increases slightly.

Saturdays are the long-distance walk with full pack. Two Saturdays ago, it was 12 km, which just about killed me.

Last Saturday, it was 14 km, which was actually a lot of fun and not nearly so bad as the 12 had been.

This coming Saturday, it’s 16 km. And so on, until Saturday the 14th of March, where we’re up to 20 km. The following Saturday, it’s 25. Yikes!

In equipment news, we purchased a pair of Lafuma sleeping bags for roughly a quarter of their retail price from The Clymb. They are amazing. And amazingly light.

Just 38 days to go!