I was so lucky. Walked at age 60 who thought 5 km was sooo far. I trained 10 km with back pack before going. We walked 15 km the first few days and it was hard. We had 25 km days and died..... We knew we had to stay below 20km. I had tired legs and feet, but i had no real pain, no medication. Shoes were 1 size bigger and I had no blisters, I also put a vaseline cream on my feet every morning. Used hiking poles, it saved me three times from sliding. I was exhausted after 70 days of walking, I said I d never do it again. But does that Camino not call you back, I miss it. I think I would do it again. LE Puy was a beautiful start for us too. Keep inspiring.
It's hard not to walk the Camino and not be drawn back to it I think.........I think about it every day. And always have a couple of options 'on the drawing board' for my next one.
@@robscamino i agree it comes to your thoughts every day. It's part of who you are once you ve done the walk. When I walk around the neighbourhood I start to plan my next time and I Don t have s plan to do it in the near future., it just creeps into my being. My favourite was Aubrac on Pondiensis, so beautiful. Buen Camino Pilgrim.
Husband and I did the entire Camino Frances last June. Best summer of my life-we’re both 56. Expect the pain. Make friends with it. Make it your companion and your cross. But don’t let it stop you.
Excellent points Rob. I'll definitely be incorporating the stretches, dioralyte, - and heel wedges next week when I start. Pain, can be a real morale drag. Especially when much of it can be avoided. Us older guys need to listen to the voice of experience - otherwise what is experience for? 'Prior Preparation and Planning Prevents Poor Performance'.
I remember back in my long dim distant past in the Military, a lesson on packing our gear for the field. And our Commander was teaching us how to cope better living out of our packs. The small things to pack that could make life more comfortable. His frequent saying was "any fool can be uncomfortable" 🙂 So whilst I try to get my pack and gear as light as possible, a few 'extras' make it in there. My foam roller, my umbrella, knee braces etc.
Hi Rob I am delighted to tell you that I am finally going on the camino , I am flying into Biarritz on Monday morning and staying for a couple of days then up the mountain. It’s a year since I had to put it off. I am so excited, I am not booking anywhere only the refuge on the mountain
So helpful. Thank you! I'm working on all your advice. Keep gear to a minimum, start out slowly and build up distance, stretch (feels so good!), and lose more weight before starting. I will walk the Coastal Portugués route from Porto and hope to have the same great resources (farmacias and Centro de Salud) on that route if needed.
Good advice. Be good to yourself and take your time. In the UK we get a lot out of pharmacies as well. Seems to be a trend in offloading responsibility to them from GPs. Great news as our GP availability is poor at best.
Yep. Pain. Having a bad back for many year I’ve learnt a few things re pain meds. If you use prescription meds take them as directed. The Spanish ibuprofen is a bit stronger than our over the counter in Australia They are not meant for long term use. Be very careful Stretch stretch stretch. I’ve found it very helpful. Hurt my knee on the very first day coming out of st Jean I found cafes and hotels were very helpful in donating a small bag of ice to ice that knee :) We planned to shorten a few days that were approaching 30 km. We kept our big days at 25 or so I also was against over training for the exact reason as you. Didn’t want to hurt myself training Everyone hurts. Don’t over do it Take meds carefully Take rest days Don’t stress. There are cabs if you need. Don’t be ashamed, we saw many pilgrims take cabs , trains and busses Six weeks out we start regular walking. That’s about it Cheers Back on the Camino in August for number 5
@@robscamino we are suckers. We have made Spanish friends. This year we meet up in Seville. Last year we met up in Alicante year before it was Madrid The Camino made some great friends for us
Thanks for your insights on pain prevention/management on the Camino. Another really good video. As for pain relievers and anti inflammatory meds, I bear painful witness to the negative effects they can have on one’s body. My stomach can’t stomach ibuprofen or naproxen anymore, and I rarely pop Tylenol/Paracetamol. Over the last 10 years or so I have taken a curcuma (turmeric) supplement daily to keep inflammation at bay but, when necessary, I use Voltaren gel (2.3%, not 1%) for flares-ups. Everyone is different when it comes to what works, but it is key to listen to your body when it’s talking to you.
Great advice! I suffered anterior tibialis tendinitis on my first Camino and dealt with it with strong painkillers after a doctor in Coimbra advised me not to walk for three weeks!! Luckily over the next few days of taking it a bit easier I was able to walk through it and it fixed itself. This time, I’m three weeks away from starting the Frances and I’m about to get my second cortisone injection for plantar fasciitis in my right foot. Hoping that this one works (the first jab didn’t ) but I’ll be going anyway 😅. Could be another sore Camino in store!
Ouch! Those jabs in the plantar fascia are fun aren't they? 😳 I was lucky, they worked OK for me last time. Losing a lot of body weight probably helped too!
@@robscamino They are! Had my first one two weeks ago but no real improvement so fingers crossed the second one will make a difference. Can’t say I’m looking forward to the jab again but I’m at the stage where I’ll do anything.
There's a private hostel 2 km further on from Orisson called Borda. Both of these places are small so you have to reserve quite some time ahead. Or you stop there and get a taxi back to SJPDP for the night, and a taxi back the next morning to where you left off.
Huntto is really not that far from St Jean. Orisson and Borda make good end points for a shorter first day. Then if someone really wanted to cut that section (St Jean to Roncesvalles) into 3 parts, they could use Express Bourricot to pick them up at say Croix Thibault, to take them back to St Jean for the night, and back up to Croix Thibault the next day to walk to Roncesvalles. Or it could all be done from St Jean in stages, using the Express Bourricot shuttle. I'm not sure anyone would need to break it into three parts, but if through some physical challenges they needed to, it could be done. www.expressbourricot.com/passengers-transport/
I think let's leave the suggestion of specific drugs to the Professionals 🙂 But my stronger painkiller was 'prescribed' by my doctor, and works very well. I have used it previously post op after surgery. But never been required on Camino yet. It's there just in case. Mr Doctor prescribes one small packet to be used in emergency only. A bit like 'break glass' to access it! I would never use any medications or try any treatments that I have not already discussed with my doctor, physio, other professional etc. So much of this can be a bit counter-intuitive I find.
Crippled within 5 days of the camino, knees swollen. Reason, didn't train, over weight and carried too much. The unholy trinity 😂 Next year, put effort into getting ready. Didn't shift alot of weight, but increased fitness levels drastically, carried less (probably still too much), but it made a massive difference, felt great, looking forward to going back in September, now need to get fit again
The first one can be a bit of a shock to many I think, can't it? 😉 It's the day after day of walking that is hard to prepare for. Buen Camino for next time!
I think the weight loss was the biggest plus for me in not getting injured. This was how I did it. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rKlKsp2krwM.html
Yes, I think that is the thing that catches most first time Pilgrims out. It's the day after day toll on the body. So it takes a bit of discipline to 'hold back' a bit in the early days, to let the body adjust. That's where sensible planning of distances helps I think. And allowing for short days or rest days in the overall time frame. My last Camino was 60 days. And I tried to keep under 25 kms / day, (most were closer to 20 kms) as I know over that and I really start to hurt and cause injury. It's a personal thing of course. We need to find our own limits.
The comment was, in English: With a torn meniscus you cannot do the Camino. Bien. El año pasado caminé 1200 km con un menisco desgarrado. ¿Publico las radiografías.....? Well. I walked 1200 kms last year with a torn Meniscus. Shall I publish the X Rays........ (I think it was actually MRI scans) 🙂 The tear would occasionally 'catch' in my knee joint, but some stretching seemed to help. El desgarro ocasionalmente se "atrapaba" en la articulación de mi rodilla, pero un poco de estiramiento parecía ayudar.
Llevo dos prótesis 🦿 de rodilla por rotura menisco x artrosis ,dolor incapacitante y tardé 10 años en decidirme a operar y trabajando como enfermera, 13 horas en jornadas de trabajo. Yo caminaba en el hospital como en una etapa del Camino. 😂 Saludos.🤗
I hope you are better now. Your injury sounds a lot worse that mine! I have one tear and arthritis in my knees, but I can manage it if I am careful. Espero que estés mejor ahora. ¡Tu herida suena mucho peor que la mía! Tengo un desgarro y artritis en las rodillas, pero puedo controlarlo si tengo cuidado.
