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Looking down into the valley
The ups and downs of life…

The ups and downs of life…

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… And the Camino.

I’ve never liked hills. Or perhaps I should say I love looking at hills and I love being in the hills, and I especially love the hills that turn into mountains. But, I don’t like going up them and I don’t like going down them. I don’t like walking them, and I don’t like driving them, and yet, here I am in the middle of hill country. So what am I to do?

Well, it just becomes another life lesson, and one of the reasons I’m here. Seems life is full of ups and downs and places that you don’t want to go, and directions that seem next to impossible. So the answer is… One step at a time.

Today’s hike was another short one. The second day of my getting ready to do the long days. I walked 6 miles. But there were so many parts that went up, and many more that went down. In total, about 2000 ft descent. People have been telling me that the downhill it was harder than the uphill. Just to be clear, I don’t like uphill. Sometimes it seems too hard. Hmmmm, maybe I should look at that a little bit deeper about my life. But not now.

Yet today, walking in a foggy mist, and feeling that crisp cool air on my face, I didn’t pay attention to the hills. I simply walked. And it was fun. And I enjoyed it. And I took my time, And it took as long as it took. And they were right. The downhill is much harder!

Buen Camino!

Bursitis

Bursitis

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Now for the down side to walking the Camino – or the preparation for walking the Camino…

i’ve been in training for months, sometimes more actively than others. The summer months in Tucson are brutal and for me it’s been next to impossible to walk outside.  The last two months I upped my game and was going to the gym three times a week and walking the same amount. One of my friends from the office where I work, Karen, and I were walking at the mall. It’s so easy to get the miles in when you hace somebody to walk and talk with.

About two weeks ago, maybe a little more, it was becoming difficult for me to put in the miles. Now many of you know I have some lower back issues, but who doesn’t at 65? One afternoon when Karen and I were walking at about a 16 minute mile, my right  hip began to burn. It had been bothering me for a while, but I just pushed past it. I could only walk a mile before I had to stop and stretch, and then the next mile I’d have to stop and sit. After finishing up 5 miles, I could barely walk to the car. Next morning I was at my chiropractor’s office (Lorin Welch) walking him in from the parking lot and telling him, “you have to see me now”.

After telling him where the pain was and what was going on, he reminded me of our conversation a year or so ago about bursitis. Oh, yeah, that’s what wrong!  And the cure for bursitis? To rest the joint and not do anything until it heals itself. How do you rest your hip when you have to begin walking in two weeks and you need the training? I went through an emotional downward spiral at that point, but my dear friends reminded me that this was a vacation and that I could actually enjoy it even if I wasn’t walking.

I started looking at this as a real vacation and not juse a push to see if I could actually do the walk. So, I haven’t been walking for over two weeks. I will get out today as a tourist, walk around the city, and see how it feels.  If the hip hurts I’ll take a bus or a cab and go from one location to the next. As my sister Sandy said, I can sit outside, people watch, drink wine, practice my Spanish, and have fun! Sounds like a good deal to me… After all, it’s “my Camino.” Hope you do your Camino your way!