Recently, I gave you a sort of update and flashback of my interrupted 1200 km walk towards Santiago de Compostela. I also wrote in that message a big thank you to my team and all sponsors. And I promised you that I would not give up and that I would return to Spain to finish my walk.
So, what have I done in the meantime (apart from working)?
I went to a specialized sport physiotherapist and to a podiatrist. They extensively studied my stance, walk, muscles, et cetera. It is not entirely clear why my tendon gave me so many problems, but they were convinced that insoles may reduce the risk of recurrence of the tendinitis. So, insoles specially adapted to my feet and walking shoes were made.
I then started walking short distances, gradually increasing the length of the walks and the weight of my back pack. Since getting the insoles, I have been walking every Sunday. As soon as I was able to walk 25 km without pain, I decided to go for a special challenge: to walk the “Afsluitdijk”.
Afsluitdijk challenge
The Afsluitdijk is a long dyke that forms the boundary between the North Sea and the IJsselmeer in the Netherlands. The dyke is 32 km long and there is no way to get lost (see pictures). I thought this was good training to see how fit my tendons are.
