Chicago Marathon - at least I overtook Captain America and Superman!

 It turns out that Jeff, or John or whatever his name was may have been right!  Back in El Burgo Ranero a well meaning man gave me a lecture on why walking the Camino was not suitable training for a marathon.  He happily carried on explaining what I should be doing even when we had established that I had run 50+ marathons in the past and that he had never run a marathon.  I always knew today would be hard work - or should I say harder work than normal, but the opportunity to walk the Camino had to be taken and I would just have to do my best!

We’ve had a lovely couple of days in Chicano.  A city I’ve never been to before,  We have had wonderful weather which has made a huge difference - walking around in grey drizzle would have been a different story.  As it was, we have eaten lunch and dinner sitting outside in glorious sunshine.  We braved the subway and buses to get around the city if we didn’t fancy walking and had a couple of days of being tourists before getting an early night on Saturday.  Jet lag meant that I was easily able to fall asleep before 9pm and I woke up before the alarm went off at 5am!

This marathon started early.  London, Berlin and Boston started at 10am (if I recall correctly),  Chicago starts at 7.30am!  Thankfully our hotel was near the start, so we joined the throng of runners making their way to Grant Park for the start.  The park was busy!  I guess London has three start areas, Boston has buses to the start that mean you arrive just in time, Berlin (I think) had bigger gaps between the starting waves, but Chicago has 3 waves starting at half hour intervals so the park was very busy.  It was a little difficult so see where I needed to go due to the throngs of people, and Husbando and I needed to drop our bags in different places before making our way to our different start areas.  

It was pleasantly warm at the start.  So much so that I didn’t need the extra layer I’d brought with me so I dumped it in a charity bin as I entered my starting pen.  Then it was just a case of waiting for the start - while listening to the conversations going on around me and trying to work out what my ‘race plan’ should be.  

I thought I might do a run/walk thing, where I would run 9mins and walk for 1min but that I would run the first 5km in order to get out of the congestion at the start.  After the singing of the national anthem and the start of the first wave it was our turn to go.  For once in my life I didn’t go off too fast, I knew that this was going to be a tough day, so didn’t want to cause myself more discomfort than absolutely necessary.  I got to 5k, crossing some of Chicago’s iconic moveable bridges (some of which we had seen raising and lowering the previous day) and had a little chat with myself about the ‘race plan.’  I was feeling OK and by that I mean my shins hurt but not unbearably so, so I would carry on running to 10k and reassess.  

The aid stations were frequent, 20 of them on the course, all with Gatorade, water and toilets which was just as well as I needed 2 loo stops on the way (jet lag is not helpful when it comes to pre race prep).  Before we’d left the hotel in the morning the local news had run a piece on replacing Chicago’s lead water pipes.  Apparently millions of homes and businesses still have lead piping and there is a drive to get them replaced.  I drank the water at the aid stations - crossing my fingers that it was bottled water and that it wouldn’t make me more mad than I already am!  

At 10k I thought that I’d carry on to the halfway mark before walking. We were running mainly on city streets, with the exception of a lovely interlude running through Lincoln Park, but the support from the locals was amazing and constant.  Plus each neighbourhood seemed to have quite a distinct character - in Chinatown  the dragons came out to cheer us all on.  

Halfway in and after 2hrs 8mins of running, I thought that, as I have another marathon in two weeks, I would treat this as my last long run.  According to Rundot  my last long run should be 2hrs 45mins.  I was going to add 5minutes to that to allow for the toilet stops.  In the event I ran a bit longer  - to the 30k marker before admitting to myself that my shins were no longer ‘just a bit achey’ but actually ‘properly painful’ now!  

I ran walked the rest of the way. More running than walking, but I was no the only walker - I haven’t seen that many walkers in a road marathon before.  Maybe it was because I was nearer the back of the pack than normal, maybe the surprisingly warm conditions were sapping everyone’s energy (when we got a headwind it was almost a relief as it cooled everyone down), but it felt as though about half the people around me were walking.

The mile and kilometre markers were not as obvious as the ones at London - and I missed several.  What I did like was the fact that rather than a 25mile marker and a 28 mile marker there was a ‘1 mile to go’ marker.  This was followed by an 800m (2 laps round the track) marker and from 400m there was a marker every 100m.  There was also the only ‘hill’ of the course between 400 and 300m!

I crossed the line about an hour slower than I had hopped for when I booked this marathon, and about an hour faster than I thought I was probably on for when I started out in the morning,  I also decided that marathons are stupid and swore, loudly, when I remembered the marathon I have in two weeks and the fact that I have booked Paris marathon for April!  

The crowded conditions continued after the finish, but the volunteers were amazing.  We were given our medals, a bottle of water (cute, reusable, metal bottle), space blankets and proceeded down a line of refreshments.  Beer (none of your Berlin alcohol free stuff here), banana, apple, Stan’s Donut, biscuits, Maurten bar and probably something else that I’ve forgotten about.

In the sunshine, Grant Park felt like one massive post race party (there was an official finish party but I didn’t go), with runners using their space blankets to sit on while they relaxed after their endeavours.  I hobbled to the gear check tent to grab my bag and then on to meet Husbando, who had finished much earlier than me and was waiting in the Hare AC pop up post race lounge.  We then hobbled back to the hotel for showers before going out (we walked there - don’t ask me why!) for the best burger I have had in a very long time at Small Cheval - I also don’t want to know why the place is called Small Horse!   Oh, and then, because we could, we had ice cream!

So that is the fourth of the six ‘Marathon Majors’ completed,  I am not sure that I really want to do the last two.  Tokyo is a nightmare to get into and a very long way to go if I can’t get extended time off work (which is tricky as a teacher).  And I am not a huge fan of New York.  We shall see.  

Home!

What a trip!  

When we were all told that our school was closing and that we would therefore be losing our jobs I joked about ‘doing the Camino.’  I’d had a few friends who had done this in the past and I’d taken a vague interest in their Facebook and Strava posts. I’d dismissed the idea because of shared dorm rooms and the fact that walking isn’t something that I do!  I still wasn’t entirely sure that it was something I wanted to do, but I didn’t know what I did want to do.  I loved my job - my colleagues were amazing and I love being with young people and, after so many years, feel that I am just about getting the hang of this teaching lark.  I can’t imagine a future that doesn’t involve teaching but I would be the first to admit that I was exhuasted and stuck in a bit of a rut.  

I needed a break.  Luckily science teachers are in short supply and I was able to secure another role within a couple of weeks of being told we were being made redundant.  And I was able to negotiate a January, rather than a September start. That done, I needed to find something to do with the time and so, before I could change my mind and definitely before I did any research, I booked a one way ticket to Biarritz for the end of August and decided to do the Camino Frances.

I really wasn’t sure what to expect.  I wasn’t sure that I would ‘enjoy’ the experience. I knew that, barring injury, I would finish it even if I was not having fun!  I thought, if I am totally honest, I would find it tedious and repetitive and I was really not looking forward to shared dorms.  

What I got was the most amazing experience.  It was the first time in decades where I didn’t need to take anyone else’s point of view into consideration.  If I made mistakes then the only person who it affected was me (and I was also the only person who had to know!)  I could set my own agenda, if I wanted to eat ice cream for lunch then no one was going to judge me.  

I walked with some amazing people - those who saved me from my one ‘down’ day where I was about to fall into a well of self pity because I wasn’t going back to school that day.  Despite all my former colleagues posting about all the minor stresses and irritations of their new jobs I just wanted to be part of it! The company that day pulled me out of my introspection and turned my day around.  The people who I thought I would never see again, but who turned up again later and became my ‘Camino family’ and who I consider myself honoured to have spent time with.  And many others who I walked with for anything from a few minutes to a whole day.  What an honour to walk with a professor a medieval history and talk about the history of the area (and gout - we talked about gout too)!  All of them enriched my experience.  

I spent a lot of time on my own.  Early on I had a message from one friend asking if I wasn’t worried/scared walking on my own and I can honestly say that I wasn’t.  Another friend was, I think, worried that I might be lonely.  I replied that I was often alone, but never lonely.  I needed the time alone.  I loved my early mornings when I wouldn’t see anyone for hours.  I had company every evening.  Communal meals took away the need to think about what to eat and meant that I met people from all over the world.  And if I did need company I could always find someone to talk to. 

The simplicity of the routine was soothing.  Get up, walk, shower, wash laundry, eat, sleep, repeat.  Add in a stop for breakfast (and sometimes second breakfast) and maybe a bit of sightseeing thrown in for good measure.  Life was simple, but full. The fact that everything I needed for the journey was on my back took away a lot of complexity - no decisions about what to wear, no real decisions about what to do either, just plenty of time to look at the view, smell the pretty flowers and live in the moment. 

I did not expect to make friends. I have laughed and cried and walked and had drinks with so many wonderful people.  Their stories will travel with me and they will continue to inspire me. The kindness of people I met was wonderful to behold. 

I am glad that I did the two extra Caminos (to Finistera and Muxia) as I was not ready to come home when I arrived in Santiago.  Those four extra days which included two of the wettest days I have ever experienced, meant that, but the time I got to Santiago for a second time I was ready to come home.  I am sure that there will be more Caminos in my future.  Although having 30+ days in a single block might be a challenge I will be investigating doing stages or one of the shorter routes.  I may even do some longer walks in the UK - although accommodation is not as easy (or as cheap)!

Thank you to everyone who has sent me messages of encouragement, I’ve had a wonderful time and it has been lovely to share just a glimpse of it with you all via this blog (and the 1000+ photos on Facebook).  Huge thanks for my family for not minding too much about me leaving you for so long (and especially to Husbando whose birthday I missed and my youngest who started university and had to make her own way there).  

Until next time!

Ultreia et Suseia Day 4: Finistera to Muxia

 I slept badly last night.  I was awake from 2am until at least 4am, no idea why!  I ended up reading my book quietly, and having a bit of a lie in before packing my kit up, hoisting my ruck sack on my back and heading out of the door.  It won’t be the last time I do this, but it will be the last time I do it with a substantial walk ahead of me until I do something like this again!  

I’d felt weary yesterday morning when I set out and, although it was a lovely walk, I found it tough going.  I was concerned that today might feel even harder.  I was surprised to find that I felt great!  I’d walked down into Finistera so obviously the start of today’s walk was uphill - but it was still dark so I couldn’t see how steep and how long the hill was!  By the time it got light I was into my stride and the path had levelled out a little - think undulating rather than hilly!  

For a lot of the time I could hear and/or see the ocean on my left hand side, and I was walking through woodland with very short sections on the edge of roads and few humans in evidence.  For a lot of the time all I could hear was brid song and waves.  

I stopped for breakfast in a little town called Lires.  The cafe had a sign saying that all food was sourced/made within 5km.  I spied pancakes on the menu and ordered some with homemade apple and lemon jam.  Delicious, but being a proper pancake not an American one, not very filling.  I ordered a croissant and was given a whole meal croissant.  I was dubious but it was amazing!

This section of the Camino between Finistera and Muxia has signs pointing in both directions, and pilgrims walking both ways, unlike the Caminos that lead into Santiago where everyone is going in the same direction.  One of the first people I saw coming towards me, about 10km before I reached my destination, was the young man from the Czech Republic who had been in the same dorm as I had been in a couple of nights ago.  

The descent in to Muxia has stunning views of the coast and the beaches.  It is a smaller, less touristy town than Finistera. And, while that means I couldn’t buy an ice cream this afternoon, it does feel much nicer.  As I arrived before my 1pm check in time I didn’t bother trying to leave my stuff at the hotel I’d booked, and decided to go straight up to the headland.  

It was only an extra kilometre each way to get to the Santuario da Virxe da Barca.  This church was built at the site where apparently the Virgin Mary appeared in a stone boat to encourage the apostle James.  There is also a sculpture called ‘A Ferida’ which was erected in tribute to the volunteers who helped to clean up the Prestige oil spill.  And there is a proper lighthouse!  Nowhere to get a beer or an ice cream though - which just goes to prove you can’t have everything!

I spent some time mooching around, going out as far as I dared on the rocks (this is the Costa da Morte!) and throwing the stone I bought from the Isle of Tiree into the Atlantic.  I then headed back down into town to check into my hotel, sort out my Camino certificate and get lunch.  As we are near the sea there is plenty of seafood on offer - I had razor clams as I’d never had them before.  They were amazing!

All three trips I have been on this summer have had a connection to the Atlantic (Gibraltar, Tiree before this).  I couldn’t have been on three more different adventures, but this last one has been exceptional.  It has been a completely selfish indulgence.  The luxury of time to spend on oneself is so rare and so precious.  I have thoroughly enjoyed not having to consider anyone else’s opinion.  I am so grateful to my family for putting up with me being away for so long (please don’t change the locks!) and to all the wonderful people I have met along the way.  I’ve had lots of time to think, plenty of time on my own, but always someone around when I’ve wanted company.  I don’t know what I expected from the Camino - mainly because I refused to do much research.  I was always sure that, barring injury, I would complete it - because I am stubborn.  I through I would find walking quite tedious and I’d be desperate for distraction.  It was never boring!  Occasionally (walking into Burgos) it was painful, it was miserable walking for hours and hours in the pouring rain (but the camaraderie in the Albergues afterwards made up for that and for having to put wet shoes back on the next day), but most of the time it was AMAZING.  

I’ve spent most of the last month with the biggest grin on my face, often laughing out loud at the sheer joy of being here doing this silly journey!  I’ve walked from France, over the Pyrenees and all the way across Spain to the Atlantic Coast.  I was never a walker - I’d occasionally go for a walk after Sunday lunch.  I suppose now I have to admit that walking is OK!  

I don’t think this will by my last Camino - at least I hope it won’t be!  I know I am repeating myself here but, while the things I have seen have been spectacular, it is the people I have met along the way who have made my Camino so special. Thank you all!

Ultreia et Suseia Day 3: Logoso to Finistera

 We both slept late this morning.  Partly in the hope that our clothes and shoe might dry before we left (they didn’t) and partly because we could!  Beth left a few minutes before I planned to (I was busy re tapping my legs), as I picked up my rucksack the heavens opened.  This was not what we wanted - the forecast had said it wouldn’t rain! I decided to wait to see if the shower would pass - and within 10 minutes it did.

Despite the extra sleep, I felt weary today.  Maybe putting on wet kit two days running is the reason, but I know I have been walking quite long distances over the last few days, I’ve not had any shorter days.  Still tomorrow is my last day walking.  I’ve got an Albergue booked for tomorrow evening, so I don’t need to worry about how long I take, then on Sunday it will be a bus ride back to Santiago. 

Soon after the start of today’s walk the path splits - as I looked at the sign I wondered why I had chosen Finistera rather than Muxia to go to first!  

Today it was lovely to walk in the sunshine.  I could actually see the sunrise for the first time in a while and the warmth was very welcome.  It was 16km to breakfast, which was quite a big undertaking, and there was only toast on offer.  The host was very friendly though, and offered me extra toast. I couldn’t hold out for the next cafe - just in case it was several kilometres further down the trail.

The Camino here is beautiful, especially when you get the first glimpses of the sea! I love the sound and smell of the sea, not so mad on sand and beaches though.  There are far fewer people walking compared to the Camino Frances - especially compared to the bedlam of the Camino after Sarria.  There is also the novelty of seeing pilgrims walking in the opposite direction from time to time.  

I arrived in Finistera at about 1.30pm.  It seems that, what ever distance I walk and whatever time I leave, I always arrive between 12.30 and 1.30pm!  But arriving in the town of Finistera wasn’t the end of my walk.  I needed to get to Faro de Finistera, 3.5km beyond the town.  I checked into my accommodation first, leaving my back pack and poles there.  It felt odd to walk without them - and left my hands free to eat an ice cream.

The walk up to the lighthouse was beautiful - views of forest and sea.  I was looking for a traditional lighthouse in the distance - but the Faro lighthouse is not a tall white building (even if the fridge magnets and road signs depict it as such).  I wandered around at the ‘end of the world,; sat on the rocks looking at the view and, of course, ordered a beer before walking back into the town to meet Beth for supper.

As we were at the sea side fish and chips were the order of the day, along with a weapons grade G&T before returning to the ice cream shop to pudding! 

Back in my accommodation, I think that most of my clothing is now dry = or will be by the morning.  Just one more day of walking!  Tomorrow will be along the coast to Muxia.  I am too chicken to look at the weather forecast!

Ultreia et Suseia Day 2: A Pena to Logoso

 There is nothing enjoy more than waking up and putting on every so slightly damp clothes from the day before.  A personal highlight is wet shoes.  Very little fills my heart with more joy and excitement.  I comforted myself with the knowledge that, even if I had started the day with dry clothes everything would soon be wet as it was still raining.  At least the forecast was better for today.  Admittedly, given we’d had 15cm of rain yesterday, that wouldn’t be hard.  

As sunrise is now at about 8.30am, and because I had a confirmed bed for the night, I decided to have a lie in.  I still woke up at 4.45am - but snoozed and read a book for a while, eventually leaving, in the rain, just before 7am. 

Rainhood up, head torch on -  a limited field of vision and the incessant sound of rain on waterproof leads to a feeling of isolation.  I kept telling myself that it couldn’t be as bad  as yesterday.  And, at least for a while, it wasn’t too awful.  

And then it started to rain in earnest.  I stopped for breakfast in the hope that the rain would pass over.  It didn’t.  I am sure I passed lots of stunning scenery, but I really didn’t care.  I just kept plodding along, questioning the life choices that had brought me to this point and particularly my decision not to buy a big, all encompassing, rain coat that would cover both me and my ruck sack.  

The rain was relentless, there were gusts of wind that attempted to knock me off my feet and the drainage ditches were filling up nicely.  And then it really began to pour down.  I have rarely seen rain like it, complete with  lightening (I assume there must have been thunder too but I couldn’t hear that above the noise of the rain on my hood).

At one point the branch of a fig tree fell, narrowly avoiding causing me serious harm.  I put my hand out to protect my face - the result being that the ring I have just had repaired snapped at the shoulder.  The incident left me a wee bit shaken. I had just passed a cafe that I had considered sheltering in for second breakfast but I knew that my kit was so wet that, if I took off my waterproof 

 I was nearly at the top of a hill at this point and spied a group of pilgrims sheltering in a bus shelter.  I navigated my way across the torrent of water in the gutter and huddled with them.

As the rain eased off a little I set off again, down the hill and then through a knee deep, fast flowing river that had formed across the road.  Gortex shoes can only cope with so much…I was glad of my poles here so that I could at least gauge how deep the water was.  

About 23km in the Sun tried to shine.  Although I was glad to see it, and for the rain to have stopped, it was too little too late! There were a couple more rain showers, interspersed with sunshine.  Enough rain to stop ensure that there was no chance of anything drying out, enough sunshine, just, to prevent hypothermia.  

I’d booked a twin room with Beth at the Albergue.  I thought I’d done well to arrive just after 1pm for a 1pm check in - but had forgotten about Spanish timings so had to wait a while.  

I can quite categorically state that I have had enough rain now thank you very much.

Ulteria et Suseia Day 1: Santiago to A Pena

I had a lie in this morning until 5am!  Yesterday had felt like an incredibly busy day, I felt compelled to see the sites in Santiago and then remembered, as I sat down to dinner, that I had 2 days next week to explore all that the city had to offer.  I didn’t go to the Pilgrim Mass in the cathedral, but have decided that I will do so before I go home.  There are four a day to chose from and, as I am staying in Albergues, I need to be out and about all day - so an hour indoors (with somewhere to sit) might be quite welcome!  Especially if it is raining!

I’ve had enough rain today to last for at least the rest of the year, and probably well into next year too!  I left at about 5.30am in a light drizzle, which wasn’t ideal because it limited my visibility but I had high hopes that it would clear up later.  Spoiler alert: it didn’t clear up at all!  After yesterday’s crowded trails it was nice to have some peace and quiet this morning.  The route was tricky to find at the start, but once out of the city and on the more rural paths it became much clearer.  Bridges and stepping stones were used to cross several rivers.  There was a diversion due to road works that took started off being clearly signposted and then just left me stranded at a cross roads!  Thank goodness for the Buen Camino app that allowed me to navigate my way back and walk through the road works.  

Breakfast, at a cafe with excellent murals and a cat that looked like Tiggs (and was just as grumpy) was a welcome respite from the rain, and allowed me to warm up while the sky lightened.  Another good croissant!  

At Ponte Maceira I crossed another excellent bridge and I reflected that this part of Spain seems much more prosperous than the villages and towns we walked through prior to Santiago.  I’m sure the scenery was lovely, but visibility was limited by the cloud and the fact that my glasses were either covered in rain or fogged up!

I contemplated a second breakfast in Negreira, but the idea of sitting in soggy clothes didn’t appeal.  Had I not booked a bed in A Peña I am 90% certain I would have looked for a room in Negreira.  The rain and wind had picked up making decisions less than ideal. Still, it was only 8.5km to A Peña.  Most of the day had felt as though it was uphill, and this continued to be the theme for the last section, The rain increased, I was walking up hill in a path that now resembled a river.  It was not fun.  My shoes may be waterproof, but my socks were acting as wicks taking the water from my legs into my shoes.  I could feel the water sloshing around inside my shoes!  I couldn’t see much, could only hear the rain on my hood and I just wanted to stop - but there was no shelter!  

Arriving at the Albergue, for once at the correct time not an hour early, I spotted Beth (from North Dakota) who I’d met at various places long the Camino (we’d been at several Albergues at the same time).  She’d been waiting for nearly an hour for the place to open and was really cold.  We checked in, had showers and pooled our washing and splashed out for a dryer as well (nothing is drying outside today) before retiring to the nearest cafe for food.  Bacon, egg and chips for two plus a beer for me.  Beth had the largest gin I have ever seen!  Must have been a 15 second pour!  We ate our food and laughed at the ridiculousness of how horrible today had been while watching other walkers trudging in.  We discussed tomorrow’s plans - found out we were both aiming for the same place so booked a private twin room rather than bunks in a dorm.  The cost is about the same - but but we get our own bathroom.  It also means we don’t have to leave so early tomorrow as we don’t need to arrive early to guarantee a bottom bunk!

There is a very strong ‘blitz spirit’ in the Albergue this afternoon as we all try to get everything dry. The owner has lit the log burner - one of my room mates from the Czech Republic is drying his passport and his euros by the stove!  And we are planning how to get to the cafe for the community dinner without getting totally drenched again!  

Camino life continues…