Media (5)
Blisters, short rhythm, and smart management.
July 14: stretch toward Arzúa / Ribadiso area, with strategic stops and controlled pace.
July 14 was a less “epic” and much more concrete day. I stopped in Parabispo area before the next oasis, managing pace without forcing. In this phase every choice mattered: when feet start protesting, the line between holding and damage becomes thin.
Andrius and I updated each other during the day. He was in Ribadiso, had gone for a swim in the river, and was telling me about the albergue and the people he met there; at the same time he had serious blister problems due to sandals. I was not much better: my feet were suffering too. In practice we were in the same mental condition: keep going, yes, but intelligently.
That was exactly the sense of the day: slow down so you do not break the engine. No useless heroics, only lucid management of energy and pain, with the awareness that Santiago was close but not close enough to allow mistakes.
At the end of the day we realigned geographically too in a similar area, sign that despite different rhythms the road kept compacting trajectories.
Short stride, hot sensitive feet, and that immediate relief you feel every time you stop and unload the backpack even just for a few minutes.
In the final part of the Camino, true discipline is not going fast: it is listening to your body and choosing the pace that lets you arrive well.
If reading this diary makes you feel the Camino might be calling you, but you still need to clarify a few things, start with the free guide.
Day notes