Day 1: St. Jean-Pied-de-Port to Zubiri

(Now you all see how well I can write after running a 50k today. Probably poorly.)

Mind

What a jump into both the known and unknown. I know how to run a 50k. I don’t know the Camino. The day was spent figuring out what I should know and not know.

What do you say to people as you pass them? Good job? Way to go? … ’Buen Camino!’ How do you run knowing you need to run the next day? What does it mean to pray?

Up and over the Pyrenees today. There was a lot of cloud cover in the morning and then on/off rain in the afternoon. Up in the clouds, with mountains and trees coming in and out of view, it was spectacular. It reminded me of what people think heaven should look like. Then a slow cruise down lush forests and through small medieval towns. It was a great contrast to Tahoe running.

Leaving the gate of Notre Dame in St. Jean

Body

Pesky jet-lag. I had trouble sleeping, including a 2-3 hour awake period in the middle of the night. Not what I’m used to. I was lucky enough to be in a room with a family of 7 and they didn’t wake up until 7:30. This was much better than the ~6am wake-up that most everyone had. When I got up, everyone else but the family and I had left. It meant I passed a lot of people (more about that some other time).

Fueled by croissants, an apple, and bananas, I ran almost 40k without a meal. I’m sure I will need to stop and eat more on future days, but today I relied on my racing experience that I don’t need a lot of food.

The pack, vertical, and distance felt good. Frankly, it better feel good! Or else I’m screwed on future days. Time will tell.

Spirit

I tried lots of different things today. I’ll let you know how the experiment goes.

In talking with people, everyone has a different reason for doing the Camino. At lunch, a guy from Sweden openly questioned why I do this for religious reasons.

Everyone doesn’t comprehend the 50k/day thing. I was asked “Don’t you see anything?“. Right now the Germans behind me are talking about how I’m crazy auf Deautsch. Nope, I don’t see anything while I’m running…

Common Home

I sat next to a German vintner (he grew Pinot Noir) at dinner. He is seeing a lot more temperature extremes (hot, cold, and hail) that makes it harder for him to grow grapes.