Training

Since I don't plan to walk the Camino until the spring of 2014 I have a bit of time to get in better shape! To that end I have started a walking program not just to train for the Camino but the Camino is a good excuse to get moving so there you have it.

I basically started about 3 weeks ago by walking a bit more than 5 km on a trail at a local nature park I was just in my beaten up old runners but it went well even though the top of my foot ached a bit when done. The recovery was quick however and I was actually surprised at how well I took to walking that distance. I kinda figured I wouldn't actually handle it all that well and would consequently be bushed the rest of the day ... wrong on both counts.

I was so happy with how it went I started walking that distance every other day (weather permitting) and I went out and bought hiking boots. They were great!

Then on the weekend before last I walked 7+ km with my hubby. Got side tracked and had to bushwhack a bit but all in all another nice walk ... however ... after 7 km I did notice that even in my hiking boots the balls of my feet were burning when done and I started to get the feeling that maybe ... just maybe my toes were starting to come into contact with the front of my boot ... slight tenderness and I was curling my toes for the last couple km ... to help keep them from hitting the front of the boot.

After that I tried putting gel insets into the boot in place of the original insert ... bad idea ... foot trouble was worse ... even on my shorter 5 km walks, so I went back to the original inserts and that seemed to fix things ... for the shorter distances anyway.

Last weekend my daughter, husband and I went on another longish walk. Not on trails this time but on a paved path alongside the estuary in Courtenay. The walk in total was again about 7 km and I again started to notice difficulty in the final couple of kms ... then a toe on my right foot started hurting fairly intensely and I thought maybe it was from hitting the front of the boot ... but it wasn't a hard banging it was more of a gentle contact but I guess it added up. I put up with it for the rest of the walk but I was increasingly favouring that foot ...

When we finished our walk I tried to examine the foot but I couldn't quite determine WHICH toe was hurting ... no blisters ... no obvious sore spots on the toe ...I figured maybe I was over reacting. Later that night I accidentally bumped my toe ... WOW ... pain! So I took a second look and still couldn't see anything ... so I gently touched the toe NAILS ... second toe .. nail ... slightly discoloured  (grayish but barely perceptible) VERY sensitive to pressure ... thinking now ... I might lose the nail ... lesson learned.

The boots that I thought were so perfect were fitted to exactly fit my foot ... and they are very comfortable over short distances or around the house ... BUT when push comes to shove and the distances walked increased I am guessing my foot is maybe swelling? ... or something ... maybe it's just a constant small bump that gets exacerbated by constant gentle bumping over time ... I guess all the advice to buy a boot one size LARGER than you usually get .. is good advice, if you plan to walk longer distances in a hiking boot.

Back to the drawing board .... I am going to take it easy this week to let things heal and maybe save the toe nail ...  and before I walk over 5 km again I am going to either get new boots or better yet a new pair of hiking SHOES ... one size too large and try again. My husband has a pair of Keen shoes that I tried on the other day and even though his feet are quite a bit larger than mine his shoe was really comfortable on me .. no slipping ... although it was quite roomy in the toe box ... I am going to experiment with his shoes before I buy new ones of my own but I am hopeful that this is an experiment that is going to bear fruit :)