Getting In Shape for the Camino de Santiago
/The toughest part of prepping for our upcoming Camino de Santiago walk from Porto, Portugal, to Santiago de Compostela, Spain, is getting our bodies in shape for the trek. It’s been seven years since our last really long trek, the Via Francigena from Rome to Canterbury. We were just kids then, now we’re definitely a bit older (not much wiser) and feeling some of the effects of aging… like aching bones and needing naps in the afternoon! It’s not a deal breaker; it just requires a bit more planning and body conditioning on our part.
I’m currently on a walking streak of 525+ continuous days of making our walking goal of 7,500 steps, which is about 3.3 miles/day. David’s right behind me at ~500 days, but missed a few days when he donated his kidney… always an excuse, huh? Not particularly outstanding records, but walking is a daily habit that we’ve been improving upon over the last few months. We now shoot for a minimum of 5 miles/day and try to walk between 8-12 miles at least once or twice a week. On the Camino, we’ll be averaging 11-12 miles/day… every day.
Daily walks in the neighborhood are great for waking up in the morning, but we realize we need more varied terrain in order to condition ourselves for the ups and downs of the Camino and the many cobblestone pathways, which we’re told are tough on the feet. So, we’ve been changing it up a bit on weekends.
One weekend, we headed to Red Rocks National Conservation Area. This time of year, it’s quite busy there, and they require a timed entry reservation for $2. If spots are available, you can still get in, and we thought we’d have no problem. Being the conservative spenders we are and hating to make reservations, we were a bit taken aback by the length of the entry lines and further surprised when the ranger said...”Sorry, you should have made a reservation. You can exit to your left up ahead.” Somewhat disappointed, we backtracked down the road a mile or so and enjoyed an 8+-mile hike on Gene’s Trail at Calico Basin.
Another weekend, we visited Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area, which was a new find for us in Henderson. A new visitor center is under construction, but the Petroglyph Canyon Trail was open. The trail is a continuous upward grade. and mostly on pea gravel, a bit tough on the feet. Once it enters the canyon area, we climbed with some difficulty up two dry waterfall rock faces before reaching a third, steeper face that Marcie could not (and would not) manage. We turned back without seeing any petroglyphs, slid down the two rock faces we’d climbed, but still totaled 9 miles before the day was out.
The Petroglyph Canyon Trail at Sloan Canyon NRA was a bit steeper and more difficult than we anticipated. Marcie opted out.
We also visited the Springs Preserve, and did an 8-mile walk on the Exploration Trail there, covering varied, but mostly easy terrain.
The next weekend we to Red Rock (with a reservation this time), walking 10 miles on the Grand Circle Trail.
Last weekend, we walked to the Las Vegas Strip from home (9+ miles) so we could see the Lunar New Year display at the Bellagio Conservatory. The display, as usual, was well worth the walk, and after searching in vain for a quick, inexpensive lunch, we gave up and hopped a local bus back home for $1.
So… we’re getting there. We’re also hitting the health club a couple of times a week with emphasis on strength training. It’s still no guarantee we can walk 11-12 miles every day, but we’re feeling pretty confident. We’ve scheduled some lighter walking days, and we plan to contract with a local service to transport our 25-30 pound backpacks from one hotel to another, which will definitely take some of the weight and stress off our backs and legs.
No matter what happens, we’ll figure out a way to get this done. Incidentally, old sailing friends, Catherine and Michael, who now own a home in Portugal, have offered to pick us up in Lisbon and share their home with us for a couple of days to de-jetlag before we head out to Porto to begin our trek. How lucky (and generous) is that?
It’s coming together… slowly, but surely, and we’re excited.