Training : what not to do

For my first camino, I spent about 9 months slowly building up my fitness. I discovered the miraculous power of iron tablets, regularly taken and  for the first time in my adult life I was able to exercise as much as I wanted without getting sick.  Before I left for the camino I managed to lose almost 10 kilos with regular gym trips and lots of walking and I lost another 5 kilos on the camino itself.  Although my first days  on the camino were a bit painful and tiring, and I lost a toenail and later developed a very small blister at the 2 week mark, I had a very easy camino really with very few problems and I was glad of my preparations.

This time, 10 years later and fatter, my comparatively last minute decision to walk this year has left me a much shorter time  to get camino fit.  I immediately threw myself into walking, stretching and lifting weights.  After almost 3 months of this daily   I now have a painful ankle and hip and a cold that I can't seem to shift...all the classic signs of overtraining. I did a bit of Googling and have just made and drunk the most revolting beetroot smoothie (the kitchen looks as though I have been dismembering bodies.. but apparently beetroot is the latest superfood and helps your body to recover from training) and last night I even ate 3 cloves of raw garlic.. I have no idea if these things help in any way but  I haven't had a better idea!

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