If you had to walk 500 miles, what would you do to prepare for it?
This is a question I had to ask myself a few months ago.
See, earlier this year I became fascinated with the idea of taking a pilgrimage. To literally walk the path of pilgrims and saints and tour the holy lands around the world.
I started doing loads of research on what, how and where.
I gathered tons of notes and saved a million links...from cathedrals and train routes to flight prices and AirBnB locations.
But one pilgrimage kept grabbing my attention:
The Way of St. James, aka the Camino de Santiago.
The path can begin in Portugal, France, and even Italy, with all paths going through Spain and ending in Santiago de Compostela.
And ultimately, the cathedral where the remains of the Apostle, Saint James, are held.
My soul seemed to be called to the Northern trail. Around 500 miles of mountain trails on the northern coast of Spain.
And if I'm being honest...
I was in NO condition to jump in head first.
I'm not built for that.
I'm a former bodybuilder with a background in competitive dance.
The longest cardio session I've done in life was spending 8 hours dancing at a rave.
Which happens only about once a year.
But carrying a pack through a strange country, alone or with strangers, for more than a month with 35ish different stops and potentially zero wifi for most of that journey?
Yeah, I'm going to need to seriously prepare.
For the past 5.5 weeks, I've been ALL-IN on my training.
Preparing both my body and mind for this journey.
Today I want to show you the main lessons I've learned so far and how it looks to fully surrender into a paradigm shift.
The first lesson...Compassion.
I had to humble myself to the notion that I'm an absolute beginner. So I took to message boards and blogs and took notes from the Pilgrims' stories who've taken the path.
Learning things like what to pack and how to treat your bag for bed bugs.
Yeah...Ewww.
I spent a lot of time making sense of what I was getting myself into, researching the best time of year to go, what accommodations are available along the trails, and praying for guidance so I could stop being worried and start getting excited.
I don't know what I don't know but making assumptions will make it painfully difficult.
So I checked my ego at the door and let myself become the most beginningest beginner.
Second...Patience.
My muscles and skeletal structure have to reset in order to handle this journey. 500 miles with a backpack carrying all of my needs for a possible 5-6 weeks? It's going to take some time to rebuild.
Especially when my hips and posture are built by classical dance...
Which is NOT the most functional for hiking and athletics.
The first few weeks were crappy.
I was tired, frustrated, and stiff.
My brain fought when it was time to hit the trail. But I kept finding ways to adapt so I could stay committed.
I went to REI. Tried on many packs, researched gear, took more notes and got more excited.
I journaled A LOT about who I needed to become to take this journey. Asked myself what my business would need to look like to allow me a 'break' like this.
What changes needed to be made? What automations and teams would need to be in place? And how long wold it take to get it all ready?
I started making lifestyle adjustments to prepare...
Living a more simple life.
Taking more time away from social media.
Giving up daily make up wear so I could FEEL what it would be like to be on the trail already.
Plus, I watched the movie The Way (all about the Camino) and it really helped me lean in.
Third...Mobility.
I tested my walk...
-I'm tracking what it feels like to carry keys in one pocket vs the other. When my hips are out of balance, the keys jingle in one but not the other.
-I'm tracking how my feet move through each step. When my back is stiff, or hamstrings are tight, I rock to the outside of one foot and my knee rotates inward on the other side.
-I practice walking with a weighted pack so I can see what parts of my body get tight. This helps me to identify which stretches and adjustments to my walk are needed for better recovery.
-And I'm tracking even the subtitles in my posture when I carry my coffee cup in one hand vs the other.
There IS a difference. Strangely.
Usually in my shoulder posture.
Oddly enough, my right hand can hold the coffee cup with zero spillage but my left hand?
Splash.
It's shown me that my whole right shoulder adjusts to balance the cup and coffee inside. Which also tweaks my torso.
Hence, the more adjustments I make, the better I feel in the long run.
Fourth...Calorie intake before vs after matters.
I've found that coffee + creatine + HMB before a hike is ideal. Not food or even coffee with butter.
Also this week, I've found that doing coffee with butter and cream after the hike along with a drink made of electrolytes and collagen provides solid recovery without feeling overly full.
I do a main meal around noon that's large and covers most of my caloric needs for the day. I drink water for the rest of the day.
It's working quite well and it's making me sleep SO much better too.
And finally...Cross-Training.
I've started targeted weight training at night before bed to help get my joints in proper positioning to support this hike.
As a dancer, my hips are TOO open which puts a strain on my IT bands (the outer tendon on the upper hip/thigh) which then strains my hamstrings and then my achilles tendon (back of the ankle).
Clearly, I have a lot of adjustments to make here because I naturally 'walk like a duck' from ballet.
Every night, I do a light full body workout with weights to keep nudging my body into a posture that will support this journey. Working on strength for my legs, back, and core and stretching the specific parts of my body that need support.
In just four days of adding in these evening sessions, I noticed a total shift in my movement, recovery, and stamina.
I often tell clients that the reason 'doing hard things is hard' is because we see it from the wrong angle.
We stand at the bottom, stare UP to the top, and panic at how much there is to do to get to the top.
The key to making a trek like this...in any area of life...is to fast forward and look DOWN from the top.
See yourself on the other side and 'review' all you did to get there.
This is exactly how I'm approaching this journey and why it doesn't FEEL daunting.
And this is the same approach I take to every goal so I can release all fear and anxiety about not knowing enough, being enough, or having enough to get to the finish line.
Remember...
If your goal is not big enough to make your booty clench...
It's not a big enough goal.
It's the ones that challenge you to break out of your comfort zone, the ones that challenge the very nature of your identity, that will inspire you to achieve them.
Don't settle for anything less.
With love,
Alida, The Oracle