As part of our training we will be making periodic training walks with and without our back packs. We have selected routes that will take us across various terrains - not as hilly as we might like - we are still searching for some of those - most likely will have to drive a bit to find as our local area is fairly flat. As it warns up - soon we hope - we will tackle specified routes that will provide increasingly longer sessions. As it stands we have a simple route from our home to US Route 47 and back - continuing on to the local post office and returning home. That is a short walk of only 2.6 miles (4.2 Km) for approximately 45 minutes. A second route takes us from our home to a friends home that will provide 5 miles (8 Km) for approximately just under 2 hours. Our current pace is between 3 mph and 3.5 mph. With our back packs we are aiming at an average rate of 3 mph and averaging 18 miles (29 Km) a day.
Our goal is to be able to comfortably walk 20 miles (32 Km) in approximately 6 hours - with reserve to walk further as the need arises. As a part of our training we have decided to design a special "Mini Camino" and invite people from our church to walk to a new shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe recently built in a neighboring parish which is approximately 9 miles (14.4 Km) away. The round trip will be 18 miles (29 Km) and approximately the daily distance that we will be walking when on the Camino in Spain.
So if all goes as planned we will walk El Camino de los Santos to Plano, IL in mid June of 2013. Our intent is to walk this route or a slightly modified route for 4 days in a row as a way of testing our stamina and seeing how our bodies feel. This should be a good indication of how well prepared we are. Since we are not planning to walk until the end of August that will give us another 2 months to modify our training if needed.
Buen Camino
Dale and Arlene
Our goal is to be able to comfortably walk 20 miles (32 Km) in approximately 6 hours - with reserve to walk further as the need arises. As a part of our training we have decided to design a special "Mini Camino" and invite people from our church to walk to a new shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe recently built in a neighboring parish which is approximately 9 miles (14.4 Km) away. The round trip will be 18 miles (29 Km) and approximately the daily distance that we will be walking when on the Camino in Spain.
So if all goes as planned we will walk El Camino de los Santos to Plano, IL in mid June of 2013. Our intent is to walk this route or a slightly modified route for 4 days in a row as a way of testing our stamina and seeing how our bodies feel. This should be a good indication of how well prepared we are. Since we are not planning to walk until the end of August that will give us another 2 months to modify our training if needed.
Buen Camino
Dale and Arlene
starved rock may be good for some more hilly/difficult terrain... and pretty sightseeing! saw wee kee has some steep short hills for the mountain bikes as well.
ReplyDeleteBrookelyn - they are on our list - just waiting for the snow to go away and warmer weather -
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Dale And Arlene
Hi Arlene and Dale, I hope your prep is going well. As far as training goes please don't get too stressed about it really. Believe me you will walk into fitness en route and by taking it gently at the start will reap the benefits in the mid to long term. The french have a great attitude to long distance pilgrimage (and many of them walk from Paris. Veselay, Arles or Le Puy to SDC) and answer the question "Comme aller a St Jacques?" with " Il faut aller doucement, doucement, pour aller a St Jacques" This is the best ever advice I ever got in my pilgrim life (thank you KiwiNomad for pointing it out to me and many others) and continues to serve me well as I walk. Bonne route Nell
ReplyDeleteThanks Nell - we are confident that we will do fine. We have 6 months before we leave, so we are training at a steady pace - not getting stressed about it. Some people are concerned that we might have difficulty because we are older - we will celebrate our 67th and 68th birthdays on the Camino - but we do not forsee any problems.
DeleteDale and Arlene
"The old dog for the road and the pup for the gutter" so they say and it's true!
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