Hot, hot, hot.

Before I started my four-hour walk on Saturday I took Toby out as usual at eight in the morning. The temperature was already 28C at that time, with blue skies and strong sunshine. Shortly after, I set off and walked to a large park a fair distance away, walked in the park for an hour then headed back home. The sun was really strong and I tried to walk in the shade as much as possible.

I was pleased to note that The Beast didn´t really trouble me too much, and a ten-minute break for a drink of water and some fruit halfway through made quite a difference. But the day got hotter and hotter and by the beginning of the fourth hour I began to struggle, feeling the strain in my legs and my feet started aching. I hadn´t expected this since I´d thought the rucksack would be the problem. By the time I got home at one in the afternoon the temperature had soared to 34C and I was whacked. I had to sit down for five minutes before I could face attempting the eight flights of stairs.

I imagine my legs were aching because of the weight, and I suppose the heat didn´t help, either. After some stretching exercises, a nice cool shower and some food I felt pretty good though, so maybe the training I´m doing helps me to bounce back more quickly. Today I feel fine and could have gone out and done it all again, which is what I suppose you need for the Camino. I only walked about 14km, not much compared to the 20 to 30km I expect to do in Spain, but it is a start and I am quite pleased with myself (also for not getting sunstroke!).