Life Lessons Learnt on The Camino de Santiago

An insight into my thoughts during my most difficult endurance endeavour.

Each and every day of the Camino I would be out on the road by myself for ~8 hours, I was bound to have some thoughts. However, the way that I wanted to structure my journaling was to include the daily highlights, the people I met, the things I’m grateful for, and the lessons learned along the way. I decided I wanted to do a deep dive on a single lesson from each day which is what you will read below. I have not included my diary entries as I have in the past, however, I consulted it heavily to help flesh these out.

Day 1: Be kind to yourself, listen to your body.

I will be the first person to tell you that I am incredibly out of touch with my body. I might present as someone who has it all figured out - an ultra-running vegan who doesn’t drink, but it couldn’t be further from the truth. I haven’t the slightest clue about nutrition and can put my body through hell and back, not knowing where the limit is. I eat a balanced, vegan diet, however, a reheat-able mushroom pie from M&S was my downfall for the first couple of days.

Unexpectedly, I threw up on Friday night, looked green on Saturday, and then couldn’t move on Sunday. Come Monday - when I was to be starting the Camino - I hadn’t eaten a full meal in 3 days and barely had any energy to walk, let alone run over the Pyrenees. I had set myself the challenge of running the Camino in 17 days, but for once, I listened to my body and decided not to put myself in danger on a mountain pass known to have taken pilgrim’s lives.

NB. I am so glad I didn’t start watching ‘The Way’ until later in my journey. SPOILER: the main character’s son dies on his first day trying to cross the Pyrenees.

Day 2: I’ve been fooling myself, the journey is better shared.

I have travelled solo a lot, definitely more than I have with other people. I’ve visited lots of different places and made incredible memories all over the globe, but the ones that bring the most joy are those I get to relive with other people.

I’ve journaled a lot about the freedom of being independent vs sharing experiences with those I’ve met, and in my first 36 hours I knew that this was a journey that I wanted to share as much as I could. Most people who undertake this pilgrimage are alone and are absolutely primed for connection. We are all here for our own reasons, but the one constant is to connect with and learn from one another. Nobody’s journey is more noble than the next, but they may provide context and insight into how to live a better life.

Day 3: Using mantras can help you get out of a funk.

After two days on the road to Santiago, I had covered a grand total of 26 kilometres - I was supposed to be averaging 45km per day… So when the sun went down on Day 2 in Roncesvalles and I was still rolling around in bed with debilitating stomach cramps, my thoughts of finishing were quickly diminishing. My mind quickly turned to the possibility of me having to hike the rest of the way and say goodbye to my rendezvous with Jordie in Morocco.

However, when I woke up on day 3, the issues that had persisted for the first couple of days had disappeared. I felt strong and capable. Then, I realised I had to run another 750km, a daunting thought on the best of days. I was walking more than I would have liked and wasn’t in the best of moods.

This was when I decided to try using a mantra to get me through. I have used visualisation for endurance events in the past (and would go on to do so in this run) but never any self talk more than the odd “Come on Paddy” here and there.

I landed on:

I am strong.

I am capable.

I can do this.

All three sentences I hoped (and knew deep down) to be true. I still had my doubts over the next couple of days, but the ten words above helped me master my mind in moments of weakness.

Day 4: Slow down / Go slow.

My first 3 days I had spent focussing on feeling better and trying to figure out how the fuck I was going to get to Santiago de Compostela in the ridiculous timeframe that I had set for myself. I wasn’t really enjoying myself and was spending far too much time thinking about the destination in place of the journey.

On this morning, I was running out of Pamplona marvelling at the magnificence of the mist on the mountains when my name snapped me out of my day dreams. It was Domenic, a sweet Hungarian guy who I’d met at the Pilgrim’s Office in Saint Jean Pied de Port on the day that I started my journey… and he was up a tree. Now, when someone asks you if you want to climb a tree with them, the answer should never be anything other than yes.

So up I went and admired the view back to Pamplona, trying to revisit the beauty of the morning so far whilst looking out at the mountains to gauge what was ahead of me. Up until this point, I had barely stopped to speak to anyone on the trail in the previous days. My time with Domenic up the tree was the perfect reset that I needed, a reminder to have fun and that the world wasn’t going to end, nor was Santiago going to get any further away if I stopped to enjoy myself for 20 minutes.

I carried this with me for the rest of the day and trip, - to allow myself to stop and enjoy the little things. I think it was on this day too that I mandated a journaling break during the day whilst I was still out on trail. Which would go on to become my favourite part of the day, stopping after around 2 hours to have a coffee, some pastries, and get down my thoughts on the previous evening and whatever I had been pondering/discussing that morning.

NB. I would have most of my conversations on the trail in the morning as I caught up for a chat with people I’d met the previous night who often started their days earlier than me.

Day 5: Have good days on purpose.

It was around this point that I started really enjoying my Camino. I had given myself the space and time to slow down and realised that I was also on this journey to enjoy myself and I didn’t have any time for negativity.

On this morning, I realised that I was just going through the motions, I arrived at my morning journaling break and I realised that I hadn’t been present. I had listened to a podcast episode and got lost in someone else’s thoughts instead of living in my own.

Despite feeling like I lost my morning, I also feel like I got it back; I remembered what my lesson for the day was and was able to remain a lot more present. I decided that I, and everyone else ought to be more intentional about having good days. We often let life pass us by without any intent at all.

I returned to this lesson a number of times as my Camino progressed in times that I was feeling disconnected from my journey or letting negative thoughts ruminate.

Day 6: Embrace micro friendships.

Whilst travelling, there is a common notion of the 3-day friend. You arrive in a city, click with someone in the hostel instantly and then spend the next 72 hours doing everything together before the inevitable… one or both of you is moving on and in a different direction.

This sensation is amplified 1,000x on the Camino. As I mentioned earlier, people are absolutely primed for connection - ready to break the solitude they have been sitting with. There’s also something that makes us more open when we’re walking and talking as you don’t ever have to look the other person in the eyes if you don’t want to.

I’ve been known to wear my heart on my sleeve and this was no different during my time on the Camino. When matched with the fact that I’m rarely spending any time with people on the trail, I would open up like a book. I was looking to forge genuine connections quickly, so that I could learn my fellow pilgrims, hear their story and see what I could learn from it.

Some people may think this pointless or futile, but by embracing these microfriendships with people I met in the Albergues or out on the trails, I was left with much cannon fodder to ponder whilst I was out and about the next day.

Day 7: Let go.

This one came from a conversation with Nic, a Canadian who had been hiking with his family across France before continuing his own Pilgrimage to Santiago. We had met in the Albergue the night before and built a good connection, I was looking forward to catching up with him this morning so that we could continue our conversation.

Nic was very much like me in this moment, without a fixed address, or clue what he was going to do when he arrived in Santiago. We discussed leaning into our journey as Pilgrims and letting go of the idea of ourselves in Porto and Morocco respectively.  It was a conversation that made me realise that I needed to let go of any expectations, beliefs, and anything else that isn’t going to serve me in a particular moment or day.

Expectations can only lead to disappointment and take our mind out of the present.

Day 8: The Camino is to listen, not talk.

This one I stole from the father at the donativo albergue last night. This place was a traditional pilgrims accommodation with shared dinner + breakfast, a group prayer after our meal, and a bed consisting of a mat on the floor. Through translations from a generous Cuban lady, this is the message that stood out to me from his blessing during our dinner.

He was obviously talking about the conversations that we have with the people we meet. Mirroring something that I have long subscribed to - trying to get the other person to talk as much as possible during a conversation. Everything I speak I already know, you learn far more from listening and reading.

However, there were other practical applications to me from this:

Listen to your body - something that I explored in depth on my first couple of days.

Listen to your thoughts - identify anything that isn’t going to serve you and dismiss it.

Listen to your gut - we all know that more often than not it tends to know better than we do.

Listen to nature - the birds and the bees provide an orchestra of sound if you pay attention to them.

Day 9: I am on the right path.

This is one that I have sat with for a while, yet had already been stewing for quite some time. On the first night, the staff encouraged us to share our name, nationality, and the reason for our Camino. Something that would usually invoke an eye roll, but actually provided a beautiful insight into all of my fellow pilgrims lives. It provided context for conversations and served as an icebreaker that evening and again the next morning.

The biggest take away I had from this night and further interactions was how many people had waited for the right time to start their journey. Some waiting 20-30 years until retirement before finally making the time for themselves. Whereas, I had put my life on hold and carved out the time to do this on my terms. I understand the incredible privilege that I have to be able to undertake such a journey, however, it was incredibly life affirming knowing that I was doing the right thing by me.

The Camino also provided me with the time and space to finally process my move to Berlin. My last few months in Melbourne were a whirlwind, as was my time in Europe before starting this journey. However, having had the opportunity to sit with these feelings, I know deep down that I have made the right decision once again.

Day 10: The meaning of hospitality.

The hospitality provided to pilgrims has a long and proud tradition. For centuries the towns along this route and by extension all over Spain have been providing for those on the Way of St James.

This was often in their own homes, but graduated to Albergues, followed by Pilgrim Hospitals to care for the sick. The latter is where I woke up this morning. A medieval building with no more than 14 beds and no electricity, run by an Italian confraternity trying to keep tradition alive. It was still so dark after we had enjoyed a candlelit breakfast that I had to use a candlestick to pack up all of my clothes.

The Camino de Santiago is the perfect place to get a feel for what hospitality truly means. In keeping with tradition, no pilgrims are turned away, nor will any go without somewhere to sleep when they come knocking. It is through the experiences that I shared over meals and the genuine care I know that the hospitaleros had for their guests was palpable.

Once I have a space to call my own once more, I look forward to sharing all that I have learnt with all those that I love and whose care falls into my hands.

Day 11: How to care for and give prayer to others.

This is something that has been at odds with my atheist beliefs but was a feeling that has been growing stronger as this journey has continued. In the traditional Albergue from night 7, we were all invited to pray together in our own languages and read out a prayer each that a previous pilgrim had written, and carry this with us on our journey to Santiago.

On numerous occasions throughout my journey, I had hospitaleros tell us that they would be praying for us for days to come so that we experienced a safe passage to Santiago. On the previous night I was fortunate enough to be allowed back into the church to watch another pilgrim play the organ to an empty church and hear one of the sister’s stories about joining the order and it touched me. I was invited behind the veil and given an insight into how and why they care for us pilgrims and what exactly it means to hold space for prayers for others.

I remember getting on my knees to pray to God once in my life, but have come to understand a much more practical application for someone with my religious beliefs. I have inadvertently started using visualisation during such endurance events as this, which often move me to tears. For those that I care about, these take form in manifestations; why should we not wish the best for those that we love and why should it need a religious undertone? Through manifestation we also hold the required space to wish nothing but the best for others.

Day 12: Always share your talents.

This too came off the back of the night with the singing nuns. Ignacio, the melodica cum organ player shared his talents with us all during singalong hosted by the nuns, during which we were invited to all sing a song or share a poem from our country. As a result, he was invited to play during the mass and pilgrims blessing, and then blessed Aisling and I with an experience we will never forget.

This doesn’t have to be limited to musical or physical ability. One of the largest and most practical applications of this is wisdom and sharing experiences. I was the recipient of and the provider of much during the strange road to Santiago.

I undertook this journey and all of my other travels to make me a better person. Learning from others and their cultures/traditions, trying to expand my world view, and adopt the best traits from all those that I have met.

Day 13: Don’t take anything for granted.

For whatever reason, this morning I was in a rather jovial mood. Full of boundless energy, pretending I was on an African savannah, contemplating cartwheels with my pack on, singing along to Shrek in my head. I had a lot of pent up excitement that I needed to unleash on someone as I hadn’t spoken to another soul prior to 11:00 am.

This is when I chased down Ken, on a long straight road his outline became larger and larger as I bundled my way down the road. He burst my helium balloon this morning and brought me crashing back down to earth. It is true that everybody travels the Camino for their own reasons, and his was to process the grief from the recent passing of his wife.

It was a touching story which whilst devastating, reaffirmed other thoughts that I’d had along the way that I am on the right path. I am here on my own terms trying to extract as much joy as I can out of each day.

I’d been rattled a little bit when someone interjected that you do the Camino at the pace in which you live your life. Which initially set me on the back foot defensive, but with a bit of time on the road I was able to see that again, there is nothing wrong with trying to see and do it all. Our days are all numbered, (un)fortunately, we don’t know what that number will be. This thought is inline with another that I often have whilst travelling, which is to try and live as presently as possible in each and every location because chances are I will never return to them // the remotest parts of Honduras.

Day 14: Ideas without action are worthless.

I journal a lot, posing myself many questions about the world, my present, and my future. However, a lot of the time this is simply mental masturbation. Similarly, writing out this list of life lessons without practical applications and a plan of how to implement them is largely a useless exercise.

Inspired by a friend (during my road trip around Australia), I needed to spend some time defining my goals more clearly and the steps I needed to take to achieve them. I set grand goals for the year of 2024, however, I couldn’t name them for you off the top of my head; so I undertook an exercise where I decided on the top five things that I actually wanted to achieve this year, including:

• Learning German

• Generate consistency in writing

• Hit half-marathon + marathon goals

• Make a habit of sewing

• Refine meditation practice

For each of these I listed out what the tangible outcome for these goals were, the frequency at which I would like to carry them out, and allocating time in my week for each of them. They are not large or scary goals, but what is scary is not achieving them due to a lack of effort or consistency on my part.

Day 15: Say hello and take the time to listen to others.

This is perhaps the most prevalent lesson on the Camino. In our daily lives we are in a frantic rush to get places and feel bad if we are not ‘doing’ something (or at least I do). On the Camino we have endless time to stop and to listen. As referenced in Day 8, the real lessons we learn are from other people.

Deep down, we have all of the answers to our questions, however, it is often through conversing with others that these are unlocked.

The specific situation that brought this one to light was one that absolutely made my day. For days, I had been questioning the distance markers, as they were at odds with what the application I used was saying (shout out to Wise Pilgrim Camino Frances). Enter the Monasterio de Samos, similar in magnificence to that which I stayed in at Roncesvalles. There was a fork in the road at Triacastela which gave us pilgrims the choice of a shorter route via San Xil or the scenic route via Samos. Of course, I opted for the latter. I had wanted to explore the grounds of the colossal monastery and pick up a stamp for my Camino passport, however, due to my time of arrival neither was possible.

I decided to do a lap of the premises and stumbled upon a lady sitting by the river journaling. I exclaimed that she had found the best place in town to journal and that I was disappointed the monastery was closed as I wanted to receive the stamp for my passport. Lo and behold, she was a hospitalera volunteering at the monastery and would be more than happy to assist me.

This lesson is mostly applicable to the lessons I learned from other during my pilgrimage, however, I shared today’s experience as it had equally favourable response. Besides, nobody met the love of their life without sparking up a conversation.

Day 16: Take the time to be proud of yourself.

Today, I broke. I mentioned visualisation earlier and it had been choking me up everytime I even thought of finishing. After my illness passed, I knew that I was going to finish from Day 4, but it wasn’t until today that it really sunk in. Let me tell you that the difference 500km can make to knowing and comprehending success is not insignificant.

I broke down, I passed Sarria - the first city past the 100km (to go) marker, the amount that you must travel to receive your Compostela (certificate). It was this milestone that really drove home just how far I had come and how tangible the finish line was. Drawing comparisons from my Ironman and 100 mile races, it is unfathomable to run 770km and thinking about the finish line is pointless during, we need only to focus on what is immediately visible to us. That being said, I had put in 5 consecutive 50+ km days and knew that bear an injury or ailment I would be finished in 48 hours.

There were a good couple of km’s of uncontrollable tears. Happy tears, pride running down my face. I had set myself the hardest challenge of my life and tackled it head on every day for over two weeks. I allowed myself to be immensely proud, I was upset but incredibly happy, grateful, and somewhat relieved that I was closing in on the finish line.

To quote Ferris Bueller’s Day Off “Life moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

Day 17: We can do anything, we just have to want it enough.

I learned this lesson after running 7 marathons in 7 days last December, but it was really driven home during my time on the Camino. I can comprehend physical/endurance feats and know the steps I have to take to complete them, I have built a reservoir of resilience that I can dip into when the going gets tough, but I couldn’t have met tougher people out on the trail. Early in my journey, I met a lady and her entourage completing the Camino in a wheelchair - check out Camino de Santiago 500 Mile Push on Facebook. And then on my penultimate day, a man with a long prosthetic leg hiking along with the aid of crutches - who I later saw arriving into Plaza de Obradoiro to a heroes welcome.

The lesson learnt from both of these experiences is that we can do anything in this life if we only want it enough. Unfortunately, I haven’t yet found the same tenacity for something that generates me money, however, I am certain that once I do I will be successful, if only I can apply myself in the same way as I have done here. Many people find themselves lost in how to spend their life (myself included), but it’s promising to have learnt this lesson while I continue to learn how to live in accordance with my purpose.

Day 18: It’s always about the journey - never the destination.

Early in my journey, I was asked what I was most looking forward to. I didn’t have an answer, in fact, I left my friend on read for well over a week as I mentally replied out on trail but forgot to type out those thoughts when I had internet again in the evenings.

When I finally did get around to responding, it was something to the tune of “Nothing, there is nothing in particular that I am looking forward to other than the adventure itself and the people and experiences that I had along the way. Sure, I was looking forward to the bigger cities: Burgos, León, and Astorga for their well known cathedrals and Gaudi architecture. However, my favourite experiences were in the Albergue’s I stayed in on the fringes of small towns along the way.”

This lesson was really driven home on the last day, when I realised I was in no way ready to finish. I had said many times that I would be taking the time to prepare for my forthcoming completion, however, this never came to actualisation. As I passed the plinth marking 10km to Santiago, I slowed down, I did everything that I could to stay out on the trail. I was emotional and definitely not ready for the ‘Camino Comedown’ that I had no idea was about to hit me like a tidal wave.

When I arrived in Plaza de Obradoiro in the shadows of Cathedral Santiago de Compostela, I felt alone. I was on the phone to my parents and in response to their question on how I was feeling: “nothing, I feel very lonely.” In perhaps one of the happiest places on earth, where groups of pilgrims were laughing, cheering, embracing at the successful completion of their respective journeys, I felt like I was on an island leagues away from where my body was in that moment.

I held negative emotions to this location for the next 40 hours before I departed on my bus to Porto. However, in the moments that I was walking out of the square, the Camino provided one last time. An incredibly generous Canadian couple - who had paid for my dinner two nights prior due to their inspiration about my journey - arrived in the square. Suddenly full of energy, I bounded over and gave them both a big embrace and congratulated them on the completion of their journey. Little did they know that the hugs were far more for me than they were for each of them.

I immediately left Santiago de Compostela smiling from ear to ear with a firm understanding that in life it is always about the journey and not the destination. It also confirmed that I need to come back to hike the Camino Portugués so that I can have a true Pilgrim’s experience and enjoy a journey shared.