Today was a real test of mental and physical endurance. My guess is that stage 1 reminds all pilgrims that the journey ahead is hard but some how one will get to the desired destination.
I knew this stage of the trip would be hard and I was somewhat prepared however it still hurt like hell. The first 10km were quite painful, it took me a while to find my rhythym, probably down to the excess bagagge I was carrying. km 10 - 20km was also OK and I felt great and even had some conversations with the almighty. Then came the killer climb began and I stopped talking.....and concentrated on breathing. It took me two hours to do the next 10km. Then I saw the church which indicated the end of the climb.....you've never seen a girl on a bike as happy as I was.
Lunch was a rather sorry affair. After all that sweating, a fat steak should have been the order of the day but I just was not hungry so I ate half a cheese and ham sandwich....if this trip continues like this....I will be skinny at the end of it.
The journey continued, I still had 50km to go....but the next 40km were blissful....practically down hill all the way with some gentle inclines thrown in for good measure. I picked up my bags at Zubiri at 4pm. I could easily make it to Pamplona which was 20km away. It was however less fun with all the extra weight. Tomorrow I send my bags to my intended destination.
Lesson learnt: Trust my own instincts and do not let others fear infect you!
Requests to God: Patience. Patience is a virtue that seems to have been missed when I was being packaged in the factories of heaven. So I have asked god to grant me patience
