Ow.

I've taken a two-day hiatus from training due to knee pain. I have crappy knees. My right is hurting. Ow. I'll be ok. I'm still determined to do this thing called El Camino.

A couple of friends are thinking about meeting me in Madrid after my Camino. How cool would that be? So if you're bored in October and feel like going to Spain (they might kick around Paris first before heading to Spain to meet me) ...

I think my backpacks are all too big (or way too small). My smallest non-day pack is 60+15 liters. I have one bigger than that even. I've only ever used them in the winter and winter gear is of course much bulkier. I'll be shopping for a 50l-ish bag. So much for keeping costs down.

A lazy Saturday after Christmas

So I was keeping this under the radar for a few weeks so that there would be a little content (even if it is superfluous) before letting people know that it was here and could be followed. Seems Rachel is very observant and noticed that I added a link to it on my Facebook page. Kudos to my one reader. :)

Yesterday, bought a pair of trail runners...running shoes made for unpaved trails. Given that most of El Camino is well marked, well trodden, and even paved, I'm thinking the ankle support offered by boots isn't needed. I won't be carrying more than 20 lbs if I can at all help it, so again, hiking shoes/boots not needed. I'm hoping these are lighter, better balanced, more comfortable, and more breathable. Cheaper, they were not. Either way, this pair will be shot training. I'll need a new pair to break in a month before I go anyway, so we'll see how I feel about these after doing some long hikes in them. I stationary cycled 90 minutes in them today. They're a little weak in arch support, so I put orthotics I had in them. Otherwise, they're comfortable so far.

I'm going to add some bold-faced sections intermittently with questions or issues I think of in case anyone can comment with an answer/solution.

Questions
Will I be able to find LITHIUM AA batteries along the way? They last a LOT longer in my camera than alkaline batteries. Of course I don't want to carry a lot of batteries.

Will my AT&T (more specifically, iPhone) be useful? Or will it mostly be dead? I have an extended external battery (4400 mah vs the 1150 mah the factory battery holds), so I should be able to go a week without charging it if I turn it off between towns.

Issue
I guess I don't bother shaving much? I'm not carrying the weight of an electric shaver or shaving cream. I have *really* spotty facial hair...this should be interesting. I'll gladly pay for a nice shave at a barber shop upon arrival in Santiago de Compostela!

I found a nice forum at http://www.caminosantiago.com which is very active, including posts by people currently ON El Camino. One thing that I hadn't thought about but I see in the forums (though some people say they see no evidence of it) is bedbugs. YUCK! I'll have to figure something out (e.g. permetherin) before I go!

Welcome!

Welcome to my first post about my upcoming journey. For those of you who don't know, El Camino de Santiago de Compostela is one of the three main Catholic pilgrimages, the others being to Rome and to Jerusalem. One of the most common routes is Camino Frances from St.-Jeans-Pied-du-Port in France to Santiago de Compostela. This is the route I plan on taking next September.

Why have I chosen to do this? I've kind of been in a fuzz the last year: emotionally, spiritually, and even physically. I hope that spending a little more than a month hiking and meditating a historic trail in the footsteps of St. James will help me find what I'm looking for, even if I don't know what that is right now.

I think the hardest part right now will be training for the physical hardship of completing the trip. I'll have to carry almost everything I need for the trip, so I'm going to try to keep it under 30lbs. Today was my first El-Camino-modified workout. Instead of my usual 30-40 hard minutes on my ergometer or on my stationary bike, I did a much slower pace for a little more than an hour and a half.

Keep reading for more updates on my training, planning, and updates on things I'm having to buy (ugh).