Ruiz's Pilgrimage 2017 - to err is human

   We had decided that we would try the route from S. Jean de Pied de Port and Burgos.

The challenge of crossing the Pyrenees like Anibal or following the steps of Roland through the forests, perhaps walking the same paths and visiting the same villages Zalacain the adventurer walked and visited seduced us. 

   But fiction and facts are not the same thing and after carrying out some of the last stages of the route by car, we have realised that those stages are very flat, have almost no vegetation and the path is very close to a road. 

   To err is human, as they say, and we are going to rethink the route. The one we choose will the that combining the following elements: 

  - Beautiful nature: forests, fields, sea, cliffs, gorges, precipices. 

  - Beautiful human constructions, such as churches, convents, Paleolithic burials, sculptures, villages and cities.

      - Solitude, tranquility, silence, peace.

      - A pinch of toughness to try our body and soul. 

     - Good services to top up our energy levels after each stage.

   Will we find any route combining all these elements? I am sure we will. We already have two possible options on our mind which may well meet all our expectations. I will tell you that one of them is the North Way, from Irún to Santander with some extra stages to make the route even more interesting. The other option would be a mixture of the French Way and the North Way.
  

   Please forgive that I do not give you more details just yet, but I haven't said anything to my travel companions and this has to be a collegiate decision.

     In the meanwhile, our preparation, which is the most important thing, must continue, slowly but surely. Each day we accumulate more kilometers in our legs and we are a step closer to begin the Pilgrimage.           

        Buen camino! 

Traductora: Virginia Ruiz     

Ruiz's pilgrimage 2017 - PREPARATION - Body and mind

Good morning, Pilgrims!

How is your preparation going? Has the walking bug already bitten you? No? Well, it will surely bite you and then you will never stop walking (hahaha).

  Remember:   

 Walk 2 hours a day at a fast pace but without losing your breath.

  Make sure you have all the equipment you will use during the Pilgrimage. You should use it when preparing for it. It's not advisable to wear or use anything new.

      Let's remember training routines:

      Supplementary exercises to strengthen our trunk and arms.

  While walking, it is good to educate the mind to think, imagine, revise and plan. We must keep our head busy so we start little by little to separate our mind from our body.

 This exercise is essential, separate the software from the hardware. This duality will be very helpful in long stages or in hard stages; it will also be indispensable if we have blisters, chafings or pain.

   I guess you are smiling now and thinking that I'm a bit nuts. Am I right?

   But not, I'm not completely nuts. After the Pilgrimage we will discuss whether or not practicing this exercise is necessary.

   The next post about preparing for the Pilgrimage will be published next week, when our legs have walked 100 km more and the date to start the Pilgrimage is seven days nearer.       

                Buen camino!

Ruiz's pilgrimage to Santiago '17 – PREPARATION

    When I announced that we were going to start preparing the Ruiz's pilgrimage to Santiago '17 I offered that we prepared for this challenge together, and here I am, ready to begin.

   I will tell you about my experience and I will recommend you a training plan which I am sure that will help you get ready for this adventure. 

   Whether we carry reach our goal or not is irrelevant in fact. The exercise, the effort, the sacrifice, the discipline and, above all, the satisfaction of feeling alive are what matter the most. 

   Before starting to walk, we must bear in mind that both our feet and legs are going to be our 'means of transportation', so we must have them in perfect condition and take great care of them throughout the whole pilgrimage. 

    In order to avoid any troubles, we should follow some basic rules which will make our pilgrimage nicer and reduce our suffering. 

     1. Training should be carried out using the same shoes or boots we will use in the Pilgrimage.  They should be comfortable and waterproof. 

            2. Socks, underwear, trousers and shirts should be made of natural fabrics. It is advisable to use these garments during our training as well.
      3. You can use vaseline to lubricate your feet in order to avoid any chafing. Don't forget to take care of your nails as well!
 4. Don't forget to put on sun cream and use a hat or cap.
         5. I recommend using breathable clothes. Unless you do so, you will be completely wet during the whole journey, as exercise enhances sweating and humidity. 

Enough pieces of advice for today! But don't forget them, they are all importan!

       We'll start by going for a 2-hour walk from Monday to Saturday, at a comfortable pace but fast enough to make us swear. On Sundays, we will walk for 3 hours. We will walk a total of 90 km a week.
       We will stick to this training plan for a month and then we will see how it has worked for us.
        Now let's go for it: let's walk the pavements, the fields. Let's walk wherever. Let's walk! 

      Buen camino! Good training!

Traductor: Virginia Ruiz

The Ruiz’s challenge begins now!

After doing a thorough research on the possible routes for our pilgrimage to Santiago this year, we have chosen the one starting in Saint Jean de Pied de Port and ending in Burgos. The other route, the one from Irun to Santander, will be on our to-do’s list for a future occasion. 

As for the third option I talked about in a previous post (the super pilgrimage of the Ruiz’s), I will give you more details about it in future posts. It is not still the right moment to do it; we need to accumulate some more ‘old style’ stages in our legs.

The main hurdle is the first stage, in which we will cross the Pyrenees and arrive in Roncesvalles. This stage is complicated because it is the first one and also because of the altitude change. Moreover, it is a long stage and weather conditions can make it even harder. You can never know what you will have to face until the day before or even until you have it right in front of you.

Then, there will be a series of stages which seem short in kilometers but are in fact quite hard for the legs and joints.

The route is full of cathedrals, Romanic churches, convents, hermitages and shrines. It goes across three autonomous communities: Navarra, La Rioja and Castile, whose gastronomy is amazing. We must not forget that there is a great number of kilometers through deserted forests and areas, so we can say that we have an interesting challenge ahead.

Once we have decided the route and have had a look at the maps and information about it, all we have to do is start getting ready for our challenge.

Let’s go for it! You are more tan welcome to give it a try with us! The Pilgrimage to Santiago has already begun!

Buen  Camino!

Traductora: Virginia Ruiz Moreno

Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela 2017 - Ruiz family - New challenges

When the trees begin to shed their leaves and the forest is flooded with the scent of autumnal fruits, then it is the perfect moment to set new goals.

This challenge will not be a piece of cake, as all the challenges in the Ruiz family. It will require preparation, determination and a little bit of suffering, but we are used to that.

This year I would like to propose that all family members carry out one particular stage of the Route of Santiago de Compostela. This stage does not finish in Galicia and it does not even touch Asturias; it is a demanding stage, full of nature, architecture, churches, gastronomy and small challenges which transform every day into an adventure.

There are the two possible goals. However, I would also like to tell you a big challenge that has crossed my mind lately. It is something personal and it is very close to the authentic essence of the pilgrimage to Santiago. I am not going to mark any dates on my calendar because it is something I will do when something important for me happens. The two challenges are the following:

1. The French Route, from S. Jean de Pied de Port to    Burgos.

2. The Northern Route, from Irún to Santander.

3. The Northern Route, the Primitive Route, the French Route and some extra stages, from Irún to Fisterra.

The first two options are difficult but are beautiful enough to turn into a ‘Ruiz challenge’. Nevertheless, the third route is beyond challenging.

   

I will face this one on my own, but I will accept anyone who is willing to come with me; the conditions will be very specific and I will wait until the perfect moment to do it.

 I wouldn’t like to repeat what I said last year (“the team members have an interesting track record: a torn meniscus, a Baker’s cyst, both metatarsal arches ‘fallen’, severe low back pain and some minor troubles with knee cartilage”). To what I said last year, I must add that our joints have gone through a pilgrimage to Santiago via the Primitive Route. Also, we are one year older.

On the other hand, this year we may be more excited and motivated than ever. We are willing to reach Santiago after having strolled through thick forests, steep slopes and tortuous trails, savouring a feeling of solitude and listening to the silence between the trees.

Mental and physical training begin today. The gauntlet is already thrown down!

We still don’t know what route we will choose, we don’t even know if we will eventually start a pilgrimage to Santiago this year and we don’t know if we will succeed. The only thing that is clear on our minds is that we want to do it and we are going to try our best to achieve our goal.

You are all invited to share this adventure with us. To become a Ruiz, all you have to do is talk to another Ruiz, share experiences or a meal, as easy as that.

         Buen camino!

Traductora: Virginia Ruiz Moreno