Preparing for the Camino – Adventures in Snow with Trekking Poles

trekking poles for the CaminoI have been training and walking in the snow using trekking poles for the last few weeks to prepare for the Camino de Santiago next year.   It is not formally winter yet here in Canada, but the cold and snowy conditions are definitely here, and are early.  I think that winter training will prepare me for any harsh weather conditions on the Camino trail.  Mental toughness and conditioning are required to deal with:

  • Deep snow
  • biting freezing winds
  • frost bitten, cold limbs
  • freezing rain or blinding snow falls,
  • icy, uneven surfaces
  • multiple and heavy layers of clothing

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10 Steps to Managing Your Camino Training Plan

train for the caminoLike Winston Churchill, I don’t like worrying in advance about events or activities. I start with understanding the goals, challenges and expected outcomes and then plan for success.  That is the reason I developed a formal training plan for achieving my Camino goal of walking an 800 kilometer route to Santiago de Compostela in 40 days. Here are the 10 Steps I followed in creating and maintaining my training plan:

1.   I documented my goals, and constraints.  The goal was to comfortably walk the 800 kilometers to Santiago de Compostela in 40 days.  The key is to start the route with a good level of fitness so I can enjoy the journey.  I had to determine a realistic amount of time I could spend each week on exercise considering my time constraints:

  • Demanding full time job with travel.
  • Family and social commitments.

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Fitness and Training Required to Walk the Camino de Santiago

train for the caminoAt the beginning of June when I made my decision to walk 800 km on the Camino de Santiago in 2014, I had to take an honest look at the fitness and training involved to complete the walk. Things like:

  1. My Camino Fitness Goals?
  2. My exercise history and my current fitness level?
  3. My ideas and perceptions about myself and exercise, as I close in on 60?
  4. The exercise types, and activities I prefer, and did those include long distance walking?
  5. Could I commit to the time and effort?

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