Day 17 - May 24th: Progress

Sahagún to Carrión de los Condes: 24.4 miles / 406 total

We ended yesterday on a high note as Christina found a great auberge, Hostal Domus Viatoris in the village of Sahagún, owned and operated by Anna and her husband. I remembered the unusual entrance from when Amy and I came through town three years ago from the opposite direction. We stayed elsewhere back then, but I wish we had found this place.

We were treated to a wonderful menú del día: fresh salad, meatballs in sauce with hand-cut fries, ice cream, local wine, and bread—all for €15. There was a small, tasteful bar at the entrance with a single tap serving Estrella Damm. In Spain, Estrella is the most widely distributed beer, but the variety changes by region. A few days ago, it was Estrella Galicia. Now it’s Estrella Damm. I love this beer. Doesn’t matter which region it’s from—crisp, refreshing, and the perfect end to a long, hot day.

There were other pilgrims mingling at the bar, including Michael, who was taxiing to his daily stages but returning here for three nights. A large group of French nationals had also finished a section of the Camino and were headed home. One of them was a former pro basketball player, and with Christina translating, we swapped stories. He was especially interested in the current NBA playoffs.

Dan asked about language and while I’m getting by with my high school French, Portuguese from Monica and a bit of Spanish, mostly everyone speaks a bit of English and it all works out.

Christina also found a masseuse in town. After 16 days on the trail with no rest days, it worked wonders.

My shin is now at about 75%, and I’ll begin ramping up mileage without running until it’s fully healed. I’ve been around 31 km/day for the past six days without setbacks. The goal is to build to 34, then 37, then 40 km if all goes well.

A Few Thoughts for Those Considering an Adventure Like This:

Mental: The first 3 to 4 days can be a mental tailspin. Your mind resists the load. But once it stabilizes into the new reality, the alarm bells stop. It’s as if the brain runs the math and since it can work it out, it just chills out.

Physical: Between days 7 and 15, there’s often a breakdown window from sustained, high-volume effort. Training 50, 60, even 100 miles a week is different from doing 150–200+ with no recovery days. You go in fit, your mind is strong, and that’s the danger. I learned this during my run across America. For this run I felt I had a conservative ramp up and now in hindsight, getting a day ahead of schedule in the first seven was a risk not worth taking.

Process: Now on day 17, I’m fully adjusted to the monastic routine. I welcome each task: wake, bathroom, breakfast, pack and dress, run, recover, blog, dinner, sleep. Repeat. I’m locked in and with the energy savings, my pace was faster today, and everything felt easier.

Morning and evening are when pilgrims are most social. In the morning, there’s the fresh start energy. At night, it’s a beer, food, and reflection. Midday? Heads down, in the heat, grinding to the finish.

A few kilometers out of Sahagún on a crystal clear morning in the 40s, I followed the trail along the road, surrounded by fields. I met Karen, walking gingerly. We struck up a conversation about her journey.

A few kilometers later, I met a couple—just friends, they told me. They had met the night before in a hostel and decided to journey together for now. Juan, from Macau, is Catholic; it’s part of the Camino’s draw for him. Ichiro, from Japan, isn’t religious but said she’s felt something calling her and has started praying—to someone, something—still unknown.

Then I met Walt and Signey, an inspiring couple from Idaho who’ve already logged 700+ miles from France. Walt, a former Appalachian Trail thru-hiker, told me there was a moment in his life when he realized he couldn’t let his dreams slip away. They chose to live them now, while they still can. A man after my own heart.

Later in the day, we turned off the main path and passed a large dairy farm. Earlier this year, I brought Jax with Amy and me to compete in the Brazil 135 ultramarathon. Our friends Alan and Caique were our crew. We brought Jax in the spirit of Lucky Caminho from our 2020 trip. About 10 km into the race, Jax was running with us up into the jagged mountains outside Aguas da Prata. We saw goats on a hillside, and Jax thankfully obeyed my heel command. The cattle, though, were a different story. Jax darted under a fence and started herding instinctually as he had never seen a cow before. He ran at one cow, then at a bull. I thought for sure he would be stomped, gored or kicked. The bull charged. Jax deftly ran away, then circled them and drove the herd out. He came bounding back to us with what I could swear was a shit-eating grin.

Today, the cows were penned for feeding. I thought it was a good time for a more civilized introduction. And this time, he acted in kind.

The trail eventually leveled out onto a plateau under a strong sun, temps rising into the 80s. Up to this point, a singular row of trees offered precious shade but now were we exposed. Jax plopped down in the cool whenever he could, urging me to pause. Streams and rivers became his savior—a place to cool off and drink.

We arrived in Carrión de los Condes around 3 p.m., and Christina had secured the last room in the village. Our lodging sits right off the Church of Santa María del Camino, which dates back to the 12th century.

No shin setbacks. Jax survived the heat, though we pulled at least 20 more ticks off him. Successful day.

Thanks for the support.

Cheers,
David