how to walk 30 kilometres in one day

1. it's a mental thing no matter what you do, no matter how you prepare for the day some part of your body is going to hurt at some point. as the days progress you may get used to the backpack but then the feet fall apart. after that the legs seems to cramp up every time you stop. you need to stop to rest your feet but then you have to endure the pain in the legs when you start to walk again. even your hat can hurt your head. if you don't get your hat on right it can rub the top of your ear lobes and then they get sore. ditto with the sunglasses. you just have to get your head into the task of making your body keep going
2. cut corners as we were entering navaro (a particularly grueling day) i decided to take on the camino. i drew on some inner strength i didn't know i possessed and decided i would win. my plan was to walk on the inside curve of every corner i went around thereby cutting who knows how many metres off the walk. it does give me something to do as i look ahead a few curves and plan my way through. this obsession may be a form of camino madness and i have to admit the camino has had its way with me more than i with it as that day revealed my first blister. i still think i am on to something though
3. inspiring phrases a 66 year old austrian strode past us the other day and called out "no pain no glory". we spent a little bit of time discussing that comment. mainly along the lines that whilst that may well be true the experience of pain does not guarantee glory. signposts along the way like "476 kilometres to santiago" also have an impact
4. start early walking in the morning is better than walking in the afternoon. we are walking west so if we leave early we get the bulk of our walking done with the sun behind us and that helps. we also have the advantage that we started the walk when europe changed to daylight saving so we are getting an extra hour of morning conditions even when we do leave a little later than planned
5. plan your breaks this can be tricky. the books tell you to take food and water. what they don´t make clear is that all the serviocos (toilets) are in the businesses along the way. it is best to buy food along the way so that you can use the services but this often necessitates buying drinks so you are therefore commited to the purchase of more drinks at the next place in order to use the services. in terms of timing breaks we have started to walk without eating breakfast if the first village is fairly close . we then walk 10 ks , have a break, another 10 ks have another break and then the final leg of the walk is only 5 ks. this is all dependant on the villages being conveniently arranged at about those distances
6. watch the horizon because of the weight of the pack you can tend to walk looking down all the time. it does help, however, to keep your eye on the far horizon. you can occupy yourself by aiming for the next row of trees. when a village is coming into view you first see the church tower (usually) then you might see more detail of the church. you then start to see smaller buildings in front of the church and then the village

i hope this is helpful