There is an abundance of Camino preparation advice on the web. Search google for “How to train for the Camino walk” and you get 12,300,000 results.
I have been absorbing advice and tips on the Camino de Santiago forum. This is an online community managed by a Santiago resident, Ivar Revke. The posts by veteran pilgrims address everything I could ever want to know, including things I didn’t know I need to know. Another group that has given me great guidance is the Raleigh Chapter of the American Pilgrims of the Camino (APOG).
For the physical preparation, I am walking 4-16 miles most days of the week. These walks have tested my gear (and my joints!). But how to prepare mentally? How will I walk ~16 miles per day for 34 consecutive days? What if I don’t feel like walking one morning? What if the landscape becomes boring? How will I manage the sore and tired body, the annoyance of sleeping in a different place every night, of wearing the same two outfits, and becoming known as the lady with the blue shirt?
Maybe the Camino can be compared to my meditation practice. Some days, I wake up easily and sit for an hour, paying careful attention to sensations and thoughts without judgement. Other days, I don’t see the point and the mind is agitated. But I sit anyway and recognize, ” This is how it is now.”