2 weeks to go to my big solo adventure and starting to lose my nerve!

[Twodogsonthecouch]

My brother died very suddenly in his early 40’s 12 years ago. Before he died he had done a number of long solo walking holidays including the Camino from St Jean Pied de Pont to Santiago, so 500 miles.
Ever since it has been my dream to do the same route.
Now I’m 58. My youngest child is in University. I am a partner in work and have very supportive colleagues who will work up while I’m away so on a whim a few weeks ago I decided to go for it. I have booked a single ticket to fly to Biarritz after Easter and have told work I will be gone for 8 weeks. Im going by myself and planning to carry a backpack and wing it because I don’t want to commit to a particular distance each day. I have various friends and family who are coming to join me wherever I am at different times so it should be fantastic and I am very excited.
I’m also getting a bit terrified though. Mainly about the walking. I’m reasonably fit and have done a few 16-18 km hill walks in the past few weeks to prepare but I’m overweight and have menopausal aches and pains and scared I will not be able for it. I have allowed myself an extra 2 weeks to the usual but that still means an average of 15km daily for 8 weeks. I’m telling myself that I will get fitter as I walk.
Am I mad? Reassurance needed 🤯

Fantastic OP, this is really inspiring. Has it got easier as your fitness has built up?

I know you've said it's quite slow, but you'll have walked over ten miles a day, every day for over 6 weeks, haven't you? If I planned to walk nearly a half marathon a day for that long I'd be pretty impressed with myself.

My fitness has definitely improved. I flew up the long climb today, didn’t bother me at all. My main limiting factor is my feet… I’m still getting blisters 😡😡😡., and the fact that I allow myself a nice cup of coffee in the morning and a long relaxing lunch and still finish at 2.30-3pm 😂😂. My average over the whole thing will be 17km a day but there were 3-4 days when I only did 10km when my feet were really sore so for most days it was about 18-20km

@Twodogsonthecouch thanks, that's good to know. I hope your feet are okay and the blisters stop. I'm currently sporting three on one foot from walking in shoes that are slightly too big so feel for you.

Your photos are amazing - and you are totally inspiring .

I have enjoyed reading this so much. Well done on both doing it and enjoying all it has offered. There is huge talent in both those things.

How's it going @Twodogsonthecouch - you are so close now, only a week to go! I have loved reading your updates. It's really made me want to do something similar.

Today is Sunday and tomorrow I will be walking in to Santiago. Last hostel tonight! My husband joined me on Friday evening and has booked a hotel in Santiago for a few days next week.
the weather in the past couple of days has been pretty grim. Lots of rain. I’m really lucky that I am so far into the walk because I think it would be miserable if I had a long way to go. It’s easy to persevere when it’s so close to the end and the walking has become second nature.
Everyone give out about the crowds at this stage. It’s obviously much busier but if that’s something you want to avoid just stay in the Albergue’s that are in the countryside/small villages rather than the towns and you will be before or after the crowds.

Huge thanks for the support and encouragement. It has really helped.

It has been lovely to see your progress, I'm so glad that you made it to the end. Well done you.

Amazing - have loved following your progress! Well done!

Oh congratulations - well done. I've been following your thread and the time has gone so quickly as an observer . Probably doesn't feel that way to you ! Well done though - amazing achievement .

That sounds incredible.

How much did you pack? And what was the food like?

Oops sorry that's been answered upthread 😳

Wonderful news

Congratulations OP, all the best for the walk in tomorrow. Sorry to hear the weather hasn't been great, but what an achievement!

I am taking a tiny bit of your adventurous spirit with me and am off travelling solo through Europe for a bit this summer. Only a couple of weeks but I have done almost no solo travel before so it's still a step outside my comfort zone!

Well done, OP! Enjoy the final steps and the rest!

Well done! I'm really enjoying following this thread and feeling more excited and confident about making my own Camino plans thanks to your inspiration.
Enjoy the last stretch tomorrow! I hope you feel proud of yourself for doing this, it's such an achievement.
And I'm guessing from your username that there will be two dogs on a couch who will be thrilled to welcome you home!

Absolutely fantastic, it's been great to follow your trip and see how much you have achieved.

Like others, I've been inspired and am planning solo trips both in the UK and hopefully on the Camino. I've started chipping away at a local distance walk one or two stages at a time, and pushed myself out of my comfort zone coping with solo navigation and longer distances. I have some practical questions I will ask when you've finished the walk, though you've answered loads of my queries as you've gone along.

I think for many women, it is a huge deal to do this kind of thing alone, especially as we get a bit older - exploring what our bodies, and more importantly our minds, are capable of and finding out that there are still adventures and growth to come. The fact that you started your post in the last minute anxiety of the days just before you started, and we have been able to follow you through the route and see you grown in confidence, has been inspiring and moving.

What next, I wonder? How will this major achievement impact on the next phase of your life? Only time will tell, but I'm sure it will change you in some ways that you perhaps could not have forseen.

Just wonderful!

Thank you so much for sharing your journey with us - so inspiring!

Well done OP. Thank you for continuing to post. You've inspired me too. Testimony for your brother of the MN walkers following you both.

Emotional finishing today. So glad I did it. So lovely to think of strangers supporting me and thinking of my brother ❤️❤️

Huge congratulations!

Fantastic! Congratulations to you. It's a massive achievement

Well done!

Congratulations!

Well done 👏🏻

What an amazing adventure, thank you for sharing your experience ☺️