Training

I gather, from the reading I've done, that some people blithely start El Camino having done little or no training.  Though I have been working out pretty regularly for more than 10 years, I am neither that confident nor that foolish.  And since I am both anal-retentive and very anxious, I started my training early, kicking up my exercise regiment last spring.  Not only did I start taking long walks (obviously) when possible, I added the stepmill at the Y.

The stepmill is a revolving set of stairs.  Think of a hamster on his little wheel, only not as much fun.  Just endlessly trudging up one step after another and never getting anywhere.






And clearly, it was invented by a sadist.

I hate the stepmill with every fiber of my being.  But I keep thinking about the Pyrenees and that 4800 foot elevation gain right out of the gate.  There are no 4800 elevation gains to practice on in Omaha, so I keep going on the stepmill.  When I started I could only do 15 minutes, but I can do 45 to 60 minutes now.  Of course, when I'm done, I look like this,

but I feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment.  If I weren't so exhausted, I would punch my arms in the air like Rocky after he climbs the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum.

As I said, I've been working out fairly regularly for more than ten years.  But it is amazing what a difference having a concrete goal has made to my workout.  Without my fear of the Pyrenees, I don't think I could ever workout so diligently on that wretched stepmill.  I used to sort of coast through a lot of my workouts--take a relaxed ride on the recumbent bike or coast through my strength training.  No more--every intense minute of working out is a little bit of insurance that I will be able to successfully make it all 500 miles.