Running Camino de Santiago - 500 miles for me

2016 was a strange year for me, it was one that I can be proud of and it is one that I can never be proud of.

I had been running Marathons and Ultra Marathons to raise awareness of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, but this was driven by a personal desire to do something good, but at the same time, was being driven by a lifetime of fear and anger with a childhood filled with abuse.

I was a bit lost in April and I came onto LinkedIn and saw a post that would not have stood out at any other time and it was a lady talking about the Camino de Santiago.

For some reason it jumped out at me as she said that in 2017 (it was 2016) that she wanted to walk the Camino.

I went and had a look and immediately thought that this could be an awesome thing to do and that it had come at the right time, you have to love the universe for sending you these things in life.

The Official route was just over 800km long and you could officially Walk, Cycle or Horse ride it, but I read that a lady and a few others had ran the route and this appealed to me the most.

I have lived in fear most of my life and so I just booked the flight to Madrid and then onward transport to St. Jean-Pied-du-Port in France, which is close to the Spanish border.

I also knew that I had to carry all my clothing etc along the way and be self supporting and I had only got a couple of weeks to train and carry the equipment etc. Possibly I set myself up to not complete this mammoth task, but I knew that it was right and went with my gut instinct.

I worked out that If I ran close to a Marathon a day, I would complete the run in 20 or 21 days and so I wanted to get used to carrying the weight. I got the weight down to 8kg and this was one of the lightest that I had read about on the Camino, as most walkers were carrying 10 - 20 kg and I would not sustain that for this effort.

The longest training run that I did was in the picture above and had a number of hills and was 33 miles. I felt fine with the weight and indeed, I had become quicker at shorter distances now that my body had got used to to it.

I also wanted to use a couple of Marathons for training before I went and to see how I was feeling, and one of those was the Shakespeare Marathon. I had a very good run and felt good and ready for the Camino de Santiago.

I was now as ready as I ever would be and packed my kit and headed to Madrid, a city that I had never been to before. I had to then get on a train to Northern Spain and then a coach over the border into France.

The above image shows all the kit that I carried across Spain. I had three changes of clothing, toiletries, electrical bits, sleeping bag and emergency kit and it weighed just under 8kg.

Madrid is a beautiful city and one that I would end up coming back to at the end of the Camino.

The train journey was really good, far better than I have been on in the UK and cheaper as well. I stayed for one night in Leon, in the North of Spain and then got on the Coach to France and with many other excited Camino walkers.

St. Jean-Pied-du-Port is where the Camino starts and it is at the foot of the Pyrenees. It is only a small town, but it is buzzing with people from all over the world who are starting the Camino.

If you want to stay at certain hostels along the Camino way, you have to get a Camino passport and you get this stamped every day at various places like churches and bars and Government buildings. It serves as a brilliant reminder of your route and also entitles you to the Camino certificate at the end.

I started my Camino on 05 May 2016, and it was a lovely day already and I could see the mountains in the distance. I was excited and nervous at the same time, I mean I had been running for over 30 years and was an experienced Marathon and Ultra runner, but this was another level.

Over the years, my running had been about a desire to prove others wrong and came from a place of anger and fear, but this run was about me and there was no failure, as I had already made it to the start line.

I had my plan and roughly how far I would run each day and the Hostel that I needed to get to. The issue on the Camino is that there are thousands on it at any one time and we are all trying to get a Hostel spot before they fill up.

I have to say, that I am not a fan of hills and mountains, well that was a whole new thing for me! Lets just say this this part of the run started up and just continued up for around 5 hours!

This was one of the toughest things that I have ever done in my life, but it was awesome to reach the summit, a real goal reached in my life. The air does get thinner and it does get harder, but you are around fellow Walkers etc and they give encouragement.

I believe that this was the hardest part and to say that it was all downhill from there, is not too far wrong! Have you ever ran downhill for over 14 miles? Ouch is all that I can say!

The weather changes from day to day and even hour to hour in Northern Spain, one minute there was sun and then there was a downpouring of rain and the paths become muddy and slippy.

Half the issues were relating to the weather as I had to decide what clothing to run in and what to pack, when it started raining or got warm, had to stop and unpack and set off again. My kit was so tightly compressed and packed, that it could take 30 mins to change.

Luckily, after the Pyrenees it does go to some flat sections and you can make up a lot of time and actually see the amazing scenery around you.

You will see that from images, it is windy and dark and then warm and clear, it was a real up and down, but part of the fun for me. It felt like the UK sometimes, but when it was warm, it was very warm.

My birthday and 7 day point and I was losing weight and my beard was growing! I was burning around 5000 - 6000 calories per day and only getting in around 2000 due to stomach issues.

I seemed to survive off a Spanish breakfast of black coffee, croissant and a fresh orange juice! Seemed to keep me going for about 4 hours!

There were days when it was raining for 3 or 4 hours that I really wanted to stop, but you would then get to see some amazing views and it would drive you on again. The scenery is amazing in parts and even when it is raining and muddy! It all became part of the journey.

I met some truly amazing people with brilliant stories along the way, but two of the best for me who became friends were Barbara who was from Belgium and Susanna who was from Holland. They knew and understood my journey and I remember Susanna saying "What are you running away from Simon" I learned a lot from people, but mostly about humility and self worth, and how far people would push themselves to achieve a goal in life.

The biggest part of the Camino was the Hostels, this is where we all actually sat down and talked and where the spirit of the Camino really comes through. A lot of the Hostels are Staffed by people who are Volunteering and have walked the Camino themselves. The stories that you hear and the conversations that you have are brilliant.

Some of the Hostels are amazing and luxurious, but the one below, we managed to get the last three beds in the village, or we would have had to go around another 15 km to try and get a bed, you tend to take what you can and get some sleep. It can be very cosy!

Day 12 below, and I have lost more weight, I am more tanned and my beard continues to grow! The last thing you think about when every part of your body is hurting is to have a shave, you almost fall on a bed and do not move!

If you have never been to Leon in the North of Spain, please do as it is a brilliant and vibrant place, full of nice bars and food and an awesome church!

And you cannot be in Spain and not partake in a small glass of wine! I am not a fan of red wine, but this went down a treat!

Another typical Hostel below

Although I was in a lot of pain, when you saw the sights like I did below, with the Mountains in the distance and the being at peace, it made it all so worthwhile.

I came across many, many interesting sights along the way, but it made my day when I met this guy who has a Falcon. He goes out almost every day and greets people who are on the Camino and will stamp your Camino passport. By this stage, I remember a Friend saying that I had lost a lot of weight and my legs were getting pretty skinny.

Meanwhile, after 15 days my Camino Passport was getting rather full and not many days to go!

After the flats, came the mountains again and I had two of them to go over and if you think that these are way higher than the largest in the UK. By this time, I had lost around 6kg and was used to running up hills and the like and I think that I even enjoyed it!

On the Decent, I ran just over 13 miles downhill and in the middle of the road because of the camber, I just could not run at the side because of the affect that it was having on my feet! It is quite scary, and it is not straight, as it zig zags down.

The last 2 major mountains done! Phew! If I did not see a Mountain again in my life! Oh wait .... I ran the Snowdonia Trail Marathon in July 16 and then the Snowdonia Marathon Oct 16!

Below is the kind of path that you could try and run on, there was lots of mud and slipping and one some days you could hardly walk, never mind run.

There was even beer and shots as well, they numbed the pain COUGH! I met this Frenchman who was walking it almost as quick as I was running it and he had returned for a second time, his feet were in a terrible state as well.

And before you know it! There I was running into Santiago on Day 21, just over 500 miles of ups and downs, rain, snow, wind, sun and all them together.

A few km before you get into the square at Santiago and the cathedral, there is a statue and I know that in the past I have rarely shown emotion on runs or Marathons etc and for some reason I feel apart.

As I was running, I started crying, I was pumping my fists, I was shouting to myself to the amusement of the locals, I knew that I had done this all by myself and for me. I had written myself off in life and others had done the same, I had allowed myself and others to temper my enthusiasm and resilience and this was about me and just me.

So many times, I had put my own life aside to people please and reduce myself, and on this one I finally found myself again, I truly admired myself and gave myself a pat on the back.

If you ever get chance to see this amazing Cathedral, please do and you do not have to be religious at all, because everybody is welcomed and it holds huge masses every day and one for the pilgrims and it is read in a number of languages.

The finish was sort of an anti climax, but the end of a life journey and not just a run, there was no medal or t-shirt, not crowds and no media, just me and a huge sense of pride and something that no one could ever take away from me.

My beard grew, my body shrunk, my tan got better and my self worth and being myself again, grew even more! It was like leaving a life behind and going in only one direction and that was forwards!

If you are prepared to wait for a while as well, you can get two certificates, one is in Latin and one is in Spanish and it shows how far you completed. it is truly the best certificate that I have ever received in my life.

Inside the Cathedral is amazing and it is huge!

21 days, 503 miles recorded on Strava with 3 mountains crossed and with over 32,000 ft of running up and down! 16 unofficial Marathons completed, averaging 24 miles per day and a longest run of 44 miles.

140,000 calories recorded and I lost 7kg in weight during the run, gained a beard and half my legs were tanned!

After 2 days of eating everything that moved, I went down to Madrid, got my first ever tattoo when I was supposed to be getting my beard trimmed, and I even went for a run, that happened to be one of my fastest of the year, due to carrying no weight and in a superb park in Madrid.

For those that like Stats, here is my running during May and the Camino de Santiago. 540 miles ran through May and that's more than Mo Farah runs, although I am a little slower!

Although, I don't suggest that everybody runs this, you can walk any section of it and the rules when I ran, were that if you completed at least the last 100km, you would be able to get a certificate.

I tend to try not to look back now, but this is one of the highlights of my life and in a year when the worst part of it happened.

This run helped me find my own worth, it helped me move forwards in life and it helped me change my life. I did it all myself, I planned it, I sold a laptop and saved for it and I completed it!

Just shows you what you can achieve with self worth and self belief. because no Inspirational Speaker or Book got me through.

16 days later I ran what I think was my 89th Marathon and I carried the same weight that I did on the Camino and it hurt!

I am now on 91 Marathons and Ultra's and I have not added my unofficial ones and so I am well past 100 Marathons and I may complete my 100 in 2017, but my priorities are healing the fractures in my body that were sustained in custody.