<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><FONT SIZE=2>In a message dated 4/18/2002 3:17:33 AM Eastern Daylight Time, beken_barbaraaYAHOO.COM writes:<BR>
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<BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">My question is, how many of you prepared physically<BR>
for it, in the way of exercise and training?<BR>
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</BLOCKQUOTE>I never hiked with a backpack in my life before I decided to prepare for the Camino. Also my age at the time, 65, and my out of shape physical condition seemed problematic, so I decided to prepare by walking with a loaded pack around Manhattan, up to 8 miles a day and almost every day, was the way I got ready. All this may have helped, but the hills and terrain of Spain (not the rain in Spain!) were far more challenging that the hills of Central Park and the paved surfaces of the City. However, I completed the Camino. My advice is to do a modest amount of exercise and training and visit a podiatrist if you have any foot problems before you go. It will still be arduous I promise you. With enough time to rest and limiting the number of hours you walk each day, any healthy person can complete the Camino without too much pain and suffering even though they may not be in top physical shape, a hiker or a gym goer. Howard Mende!
s, NYC<BR>
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