The Camino is Getting Closer Now!

Wow, time has flown past.  It only seemed like yesterday, not 18 months, that the idea of walking the Camino de Santiago came about.

And like many of the ‘Pilgrims to be’ I have made friends with online, that mixture of excitement and anxiousness is really starting to kick in.

Have I bought all the gear that I’ll need?  Will it fit into my pack?  What’s the best treatment for blisters, I’ve forgotten!

But I’ve gone over those things many times, so there is really no need to worry.  I just look forward to the journey to St Jean Pied de Port, my chosen start point. And my first glimpse of the Pyrenees.

My online Pilgrim friends have all urged me to take it easy in the first few days.  Advice that I’ll heed, particularly as I rather overdid my training in the last couple of months so that I’m starting out with injuries normally only gained on the walk itself.  The dreaded Achilles Tendonitis.

This was a result of ramping up my training regime too quickly.  But various Doctors and Physiotherapists have helped me prepare over the last 3-4 weeks and given me the all clear to go.  Armed with strict instructions on regular stretching exercises and a few heavy duty painkillers should they be required!

In a way I’m glad that these injuries happened now, where I could get easy access to good medical support in my own language.  I just hope the condition doesn’t get too much worse…

Of course pulling my back muscles 3 weeks ago didn’t help too much either!  It basically halted my training and left me unable to walk for a week.

Perhaps a good thing. But that’s another story.  Thanks to Alex my Physio I am walking upright again.

I rather get the impression that someone ‘upstairs’ wanted to slow me down a bit, or maybe give me a small burden to carry along the way.  It’s OK, I got the message….