Last week my good friend Sarah and I spent 4 days in the Pyrenees. We walked almost 50 km over 4 days, climbing a total of 2092 m – our highest daily ascent was 732 m – which is a lot, with legs as short as mine! And the best news… we both felt fine! Aside from the physical aspect, this trip did wonders for our motivation and belief that we are as ready as we can be to take on the Inca Trail. (We did also spend the last afternoon in the spa after a shorter walk in the morning, but hey, we earned it!)
We witnessed some amazing scenery, and diverse landscapes; picnicked in jaw-dropping spots with a few comedy moments thrown in. Here are a few photos – they really don’t do the landscape justice though, so I highly recommend the Spanish Pyrenees if you enjoy walking. We had perfect weather for Peru. Similar temperatures and even rain on the last day so we could try out the wet kit!
Just reviewing my earlier blog on practice makes perfect and all of those points apply here. But particularly, this is what I took from this part of the journey:
- My husband seems fitter than me at this moment, which is great, but also a teeny bit annoying…
- I was reminded of a point I learned previously during marathon training that training the mind is just as important as physical preparation. If you believe you can, then you absolutely will.
- No such thing as bad weather, just important to have the right clothes!
- Another throwback to marathon days – “run the mile you are in” (obv walk in this case!) – in other words dont let yourself be overwhelmed by the total distance, just focus on the next short milestone. Very appropriate for most things we tackle in life.
- My legs really are shorter than I think they are
- Support is important. Im lucky as Sarah was a great person to spend 4-days walking with, for many reasons but not least for her encouragement, easy-going nature, the laughs and shared silences whilst taking it all in
- Finally and perhaps most important, if you are taking on a challenge, don’t be in a rush to “get it over with”. Take time to take stock, an extra few minutes to enjoy the scenery, lap it up, slow it down, use all of your senses. I wish I had done more of this on day 1’s hike – instead of stressing that the dog was going to run over the edge chasing a bird…
Things are still as hectic here at Chez Davis. This week my priority is a final kit check and packing. I seem to have A LOT of stuff to fit into a small space, it will be a minor miracle keeping it to 20kg. Let’s see how that goes!
