Camino Fitness Week Ten
Week Ten - (ten minutes read)
Peak Phase ~ Camino Fitness Week Ten ~ The Rehearsal Camino
“Peregrinatio non est sine peregrino”.
“There is no pilgrimage without the pilgrim”
What are we doing here?
Are we training for the Camino, or training for life?
I’m pretty convinced that walking each day outside is one of the keys to a healthy and happy life. Surely for many, the Camino is a great way to live long, healthy and happy!
Before discussing week ten practice, I want to say congratulations. Anyone earnestly doing a balanced health and fitness program for ten weeks straight, is halfway to becoming an expert on our own personal health, wellness, endurance and strength. We have done a lot and we’re doing a lot right.
So why am I doing this? As many people discussed on Melanie K. Kitzan's post last week about visualization, I visualize what it will be like; I vividly imagine the nature, the seaside, mountains, towns, people, dogs, the warm sun, cool rain, long days and early morning air. I ponder the places I’ll rest, places I’ll eat.
And just as past athletic coaches have instructed, I’ll visualize everything about how I’ll feel, happy/sad, energetic/tired, interested/bored, motivated/unmotivated, powerful/weak, confident/doubting and much more too. I've had times when my livelihood depended on athletic ability, a few times where life itself depended on the mental game and ability to find joy from fear, peace from chaos. And with practice, do we not become so much stronger than we know?
For me the Camino is different, it's not a threat, or a race, or something to fear. It's something which already fills me with joy and purpose.
But I do want to focus on these meditations and pay attention to being careful and prepared. It may be true that all I have to do is walk, eat, sleep and repeat for a week or ten?” but I also want to enjoy myself. I want to thrive, not survive. I want to have an experience in deep spiritual connection with people and places and nature. These are some reasons for me to train and practice. I do enjoy exercise, but I really enjoy the freedom of knowing my body can carry me where my mind wants to go.
The words, “Peregrinatio non, est sine peregrino”. “There is no pilgrimage, without the pilgrim”. Strike home for me. With a healthy effort and a gentle momentum, I would like to get from one end to the other in the best physical and mental shape I can be.
There is not much more to say about week ten. After nine solid weeks, we are basically ready. And the next three weeks are opportunities to become even more ready both physically and from a planning perspective.
To have some fun and enjoyment, the suggested priority for the week, can be to create a realistic simulation of three (or even four) days of your Camino. A rehearsal Camino.
Tips for the rehearsal Camino:
Our suggestion is to load up the pack, with exactly what you plan to carry (maybe even a little more, so you can feel the difference between a too-heavy pack and a what’s right for you). Please see Susan Esler Valaer's blog posts for tips on packing. Aim for three (or even four) days. This could be on the weekend and you could do this from where you live and head back home each night.
If you have to work on Friday and Monday, perhaps you can walk 10 km on Friday afternoon/evening and/or Monday morning. Be creative, and if you are feeling adventurous and can do a point to point walk somewhere, there is great power in a long continuous walk.
How long to walk. Everyone is different. A good place to start is to walk the distances you expect to walk on your Camino. If that is hard to decide, lets discuss in the comments
Have some fun and if you have creative ideas, please share here or on Facebook
Finally. Recovery, Rest, Restoration. The more we train, the more we ought to practice self-care, ample sleep and good balanced nutrition. What we do after training, matters as much or more as what we do on the walks, floor, gym or stairs. We’re getting close. In order to get to the end of the Camino, we have to get to the start. Take great care of your body and self.
Buen Camino.
