Teresa Parker blogs about restaurants, recipes, and the reasons why she's in love with Spain's food and culture.
Maybe the best thing about being on the Camino de Santiago is the way it takes you out of the cities and into villages and landscapes. The way it slows you down.
Walking, you see deeper into Spain: vineyards, the meseta, the rocky coast. You take a closer look at the way nature has planted heather along a dirt path. You negotiate right of way with a cow lounging on a mountain pass.
With a Camino trip planned for September, I feel good knowing I’ve carved out time for these kinds of experiences.
What I don’t love knowing is that I can’t just show up and make 10 miles a day.
What about you?
If you’ve been thinking of joining our 100-mile journey this fall, now’s the time to make your commitment. Especially if you need to start walking more in order to be ready for this kind of slow travel.
I’ve been reading about how people prepare for the Camino, and it seems to me all the advice out there adds up to something like this:
- It’s not important that you walk faster.
- Focus on building strength for making longer walks.
- Break in new boots or shoes during your training months.
- Walk regularly, 4-5 days/week, varying up the terrain.
- Gradually increase your distance, working up to two 10 or 12 mile walks each week.
- Dark chocolate is a legitimate performance-enhancing aid.
I know I won’t follow this perfectly, but here’s my walking plan. For April and May it’s about getting in the rhythm of walking four times each week. Over the summer, I’ll go up to five days a week. Gradually, a couple of those walks get longer.
April–May: | Walk 1 | Walk 2 | Walk 3 | Walk 4 | Total miles for the week |
April 2-8 | 1 mile | 1 mile | 2 miles | 1 mile | 5 |
April 9-15 | 2 miles | 1.5 miles | 2 miles | 1.5 miles | 7 |
April 16-22 | 2 miles | 2 miles | 2 miles | 3 miles | 9 |
April 23-29 | 2 miles | 3 miles | 2 miles | 4 miles | 11 |
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May 1-7 | 2 miles | 3 miles | 2 miles | 4 miles | 11 |
May 8-14 | 2 miles | 3 miles | 3 miles | 4 miles | 12 |
May 15-21 | 3 miles | 3 miles | 3 miles | 4 miles | 13 |
May 22-28 | 3 miles | 3 miles | 3 miles | 5 miles | 14 |
June, July, August: | Walk 1 | Walk 2 | Walk 3 | Walk 4 | Walk 5 | Total miles for the week |
June 1-7 | 3 miles | 3 miles | 5 miles | 2 miles | 5 miles | 17 |
June 8-14 | 3 miles | 3 miles | 6 miles | 3 miles | 5 miles | 20 |
June 15-21 | 3 miles | 4 miles | 6 miles | 3 miles | 6 miles | 22 |
June 22-28 | 4 miles | 4 miles | 8 miles | 4 miles | 6 miles | 26 |
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July 1-7 | 4 miles | 4 miles | 8 miles | 4 miles | 8 miles | 28 |
July 8-14 | 4 miles | 4 miles | 9 miles | 4 miles | 9 miles | 30 |
July 15-21 | 4 miles | 4 miles | 10 miles | 4 miles | 10 miles | 32 |
July 22-28 | 4 miles | 4 miles | 12 miles | 4 miles | 12 miles | 36 |
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Aug 1-7 | 5 miles | 5 miles | 12 miles | 5 miles | 12 miles | 39 |
Aug 8-14 | 5 miles | 6 miles | 12 miles | 5 miles | 12 miles | 40 |
Aug 15-21 | 5 miles | 8 miles | 12 miles | 5 miles | 12 miles | 42 |
Aug 22-28 | 5 miles | 10 miles | 12 miles | 5 miles | 12 miles | 44 |
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September | 5 miles | 12 miles | 12 miles | 5 miles | 12 miles | 4 |
I’d love to hear what you’re doing to get in shape for the trip. And if you live near me, let’s take some walks together here.