Senior endurance has been on my mind a lot in these last few days before I leave for the Camino de Santiago. I am confident that I will manage the distance, but it’s been a long time since I have embarked on an adventure like this. And even longer since I pushed myself in endurance events.
My last ultramarathon was in 1992. 27 years have gone by since then. I have been active with walking, cutting and handling wood, and until a few years ago, farming and horseriding. I have walked the distance I expect to do every day with a full pack and at a faster speed than I will need for the Camino. My gear, plane tickets and passports are all organised. I wrote about my planned walk in my previous post.
Many people think I am nuts to attempt the walk after a heart attack and bypass surgery. That is the least of my worries. The surgeon who did my bypass said I was good to do anything I wanted. She reckoned my knees would stop me before any heart problems. Much like a friendly motor mechanic saying a new water pump for your car engine would be good for another 100 000km, she said my heart should be good for another 20 years.
That’s reassuring and I have no worries about my knees.
An Impressive Example of Senior Endurance
Something even more reassuring – and inspiring – was reading the story of Emma Gatewood (Grandma Gatewood). The first woman to walk the entire 2050 miles (3280km) of the Appalachian trail in one year in 1955 when she was 67 years old. She did it again at age 72 and a third time in stages at 75. She also walked over 2000 miles of the Oregon trail, averaging 22 miles or 35 km a day. That makes my planned 257 km at 25 km a day seem like a walk in the park.
Emma Gatewood did not have an easy life, she reared 11 children and endured 20 years in an abusive marriage. That was in an era when women had difficulty in escaping from those situations, but she did and brought her three youngest children up on her own.
She travelled light with a minimum of gear. Just an old army blanket, a raincoat and a plastic shower curtain on her first hike as she thought there would be clean, dry cabins at each overnight stop. The reality was quite different. You can read more of her story here in her Wikipedia entry.
Yet another story of triumph over adversity.
The Adventure
Every time I read a story about someone like Emma Gatewood, I marvel at how that person develops the resilience to endure hardship over a long period. Over 20 years in Emma’s case, and then sets out on an extreme adventure that tests every bit of that resilience.
It begs the question: Is adversity the boiler house that develops resilience and sets the foundation for endurance? Or are naturally resilient people more able to survive adversity and endure extraordinary challenging experiences?
I think it’s both.
The next few weeks will help me find out whether I have sufficient senior endurance
By the time you read this, I will be on day 5 of my walk. My starting point, the historic city of Porto is the home of the port industry. As I will be arriving mid-morning, I plan to explore the city – and sample some port – find a hostel to spend the first night then set out early Friday morning.
Blog posts for the following three weeks will be dependent on finding wifi and my very limited typing-on-phone skills.
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