I covered about 150 km of the Camino de Santiago by bicycle, which was not in my plans. Feeling my knees so impaired that I couldn’t handle the descents of the day’s route, this seemed like the best decision, but just thinking about changing my plans caused me enormous initial frustration.
Since I did the El Cruce in December 2022, I have been dealing with plantar fasciitis in my left foot. Even after a year of physiotherapy and exercises, the discomfort and some pain in certain situations remained. One of the things that brought me a lot of comfort throughout this process was using the HOKA Clifton shoes, because they are lightweight and have excellent cushioning.
About a month before starting the Camino de Santiago, I began to feel discomfort that grew into pain in the back of the sole of my foot (heel area). Stepping with my left foot, even with appropriate shoes, became very painful. In a consultation with my orthopedist, he recommended that I visit a podiatrist, and I discovered a plantar wart. It was necessary to make a small cut to apply acid to burn it. It took three weeks of treatment and a lot of pain.
I set off on the Camino de Santiago with this hole in my foot and pain that prevented me from stepping properly with my left foot. I then started putting more weight on my right leg. As a result: terrible pain in my right knee which, especially on descents, made me walk very slowly. As the days went by, the left heel improved, the right knee worsened, and I began putting more weight on the left knee. What was bad got even worse!
The solution to my biggest challenge on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela
At that point, I started thinking about how I could solve the situation, and what came to mind was: renting a bicycle. In fact, the “coincidences of the Camino” end up guiding us. A few days earlier, in Ponte la Reina, at the Estrella Guia albergue, run by the Brazilian Natália, I met another Brazilian working with her, Joelma, who coincidentally is from the same town as my mother’s family, Guaratinguetá, in Vale do Paraíba (SP), where I spent much of my childhood — which of course gave us a lot to talk about! Joelma showed me the bicycles she rents to pilgrims. Looking back, it was a sign that I should rent the bike and cover part of the Camino by pedaling to recover my knees.
Another coincidence that showed me this was the best decision was a reminder of a conversation I had with my therapist, who had also walked the Camino de Santiago. She suggested that I take the book *Minutos de Sabedoria* (Minutes of Wisdom) to help me in moments of uncertainty. I had no doubt, I opened the little book and came across the following message:
More comfortable, therefore, with what I should do, I rented the bicycle, and I can say it was the best choice of my life! I recovered my knees well over those 150 km and even lent the bike to friends who were going through the same situation.
Luiz Henrique and Patrick, two friends I made on the Camino who also used the bicycle
The lesson I take from this episode is that many times we have to change the initial plan to achieve our goals, and those who walk long-distance trails know exactly what I’m talking about! For that, we need to have humility and flexibility to adapt to reality, without shame, judgment, or guilt. At that moment, I understood that I needed to control my emotions and be more rational. Keeping a healthy mind is what preserved my body.
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