Four weeks ago today, DW and I set out on a trek that, were we to do it in real life, it would have never happened.
I just don't have the feet for it.
Last month, I shared how DW and I were virtually participating in the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage, from the south of France to the northwest coast of Spain. It's a 773.9-kilometre trek that crosses several mountain ranges and fords flat plains, linking up with countless villages, towns, and cities.
I'm combining the distances that I cover by simply walking around the house or around my neighbourhood, and I'm also getting on my spin bike as well. DW has pledged to walk at least 10,000 steps each day, plus she occasionally gets on the spin bike, though not that often.
We also have a couple of friends who have joined the community that we've created, the Bytown Blazers. DW and our friends are largely sticking together, seldom being more than five kilometres apart from one another (though, in reality, confined to their own homes). As of Sunday evening, the three of them have covered 30 percent of the trek.
Because I primarily use my spin bike, I've peeled ahead of the group. As of Sunday evening, I have completed 52 percent of my journey, which is 402.57 kms. By this Wednesday evening, I expect to reach the 60-percent mark, which will take me to the city of León.
Initially, DW and I set our goal to finish the trek in 16 weeks. After a couple of weeks, when I pulled ahead by about 100 kms, I changed my goal timeframe to 10 weeks. A red marker, which represents a pace car for the goal that I set, was still falling further behind, so last weekend I changed my timeframe to eight weeks. If all goes well, I should reach Santiago de Compostela by March 2, if not sooner.
Each day, I look at the journey ahead of me, and set a goal of the first town that falls within 20 to 25 kilometres. About an hour before dinner, I calculate the number of steps I've taken already, estimate how many more I'll complete by the end of the day, and subtract that amount by the distance to that town. I then get on the spin bike and cover that distance.
At the end of the day, before I get into bed, I see how much farther I need to cover to reach my daily destination. If I still have more steps to cover, I'll walk around the house until I cover that distance. If I've overshot that distance, I enter the required kilometres into the app and just imagine the extra steps as me, exploring the town, but not adding to the required distance to complete the trek.
The app allows me to virtually wander the streets, through Google Maps' street view. I've seen some fabulous plazas, cathedrals, and historic sites. So far, my favourite stops include Pamplona, Estella, Logroño, and especially Burgos. I'm looking forward to reaching León.
Most importantly, I'm feeling pretty good about my workouts. Sure, I often cover greater distances when I ride my own bike, and that will come when DW and I take the more-demanding challenge of Lands End, in the southwestern tip of England, to John O'Groats, in northern Scotland. But I'm getting far more exercise than I would have, had we not downloaded this app.
Even when DW and I were going to the gym, before the pandemic, we didn't exercise this much. We're getting a workout every single day.
It's a win-win situation. And it's the only way that I would get to see this part of the world. While it's no problem for me to walk around the house or my neighbourhood, while my spin bike gives me a good workout while I cover 20 or so kilometres a day, my feet would never allow me to cover these distances, day in and day out, for weeks on end.
My virtual treks are the only treks my body can safely handle.
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