William James (1842–1910) was an American philosopher and psychologist, widely regarded as one of the founders of modern psychology. I recently came across a quote of his which, although perhaps a little harsh, offers food for thought during our January contemplations:
Compared with what we ought to be, we are only half awake….We are making use of only a small part of our possible mental and physical resources…. The human individual thus lives usually far within his limits; he possesses powers of various sorts which he habitually fails to use. William James
A century on, I wonder if his views would have been different? I suspect not. As humans, our most basic instinct is to stay safe. Our brain is programmed to avoid danger which, these days, usually manifests itself as choosing the status quo rather than seeking new experiences, imagining the worst without any particular evidence, or coming up with all the reasons not to before even trying. Understandable, but limiting and restrictive nevertheless.
There is of course another way forward – ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’. Within the Me Spot group, there are many amazing examples of women who have done just that. I am sure they would all agree that the road is never easy, but overcoming the hurdles along the way is a big part of what makes the experience so life-affirming and confidence boosting. Just as it was for Alison.
Alison’s Story
Last summer, Alison decided to commit to walking 100km along the Portugese section of the Camino de Santiago, one of the old pilgrims’ routes, first established in the 9th century. Here she shares her reasons for doing it when it would have been easier not to, the challenges she faced en route, and the exhilaration when she finally reached her goal. Prepare for an inspiring read…
What inspired you to do it?
I had always wanted to walk part of the Camino having read how special it is whether on a spiritual level or as a personal challenge. A chance conversation with a group of friends and only a moment’s hesitation led me to signing up.
What fears did you have?
My fundamental fear was whether my body would be capable of walking the required distance, added to which my fellow walkers were younger and fitter than me. I didn’t want to let anyone down.
What training did you do?
By the time I signed up, I had just two months to train. I walked as fast as I could up and down Wimbledon hills on a regular basis, and tried to strengthen my legs by doing squats everyday. There is no doubt that regular Sunday Nordic walking and the Walk & Tone sessions during the summer months helped. I had to really work on my stamina which has always been a weak point, so I walked 23km on three separate occasions before I left.
Without all the training I would not have been able to walk the 20km on 5 consecutive days so it was a good investment of time and energy. Whatever happened along the route, I had given it my best shot.
How far did you walk and over how many days?
We walked the last 100km of the Camino Portuguese over 5 days, an average of 20km a day, the reality is that we walked less on some days and 25km on the final stretch into Santiago which was mostly uphill and in 27 degrees heat. Searching for restaurants in the evening added to the daily total. My fitbit recorded 28km the last day, 40,000+ steps!
What was the highlight?
The obvious highlight of the walk was the first sighting, far away in the distance, of the spires of the Cathedral in Santiago, our ultimate goal. Everyday we had small highlights as we collected our Pilgrim stamps for our passports. (In order to qualify for the final Certificate of Accomplishment, we needed 2 stamps per day as proof we were actually walking and not taking the train….tempting as that seemed at times). Each time I received a stamp it felt like a small mark of encouragement to continue, and reminded me that I was actually making progress, albeit slowly.
Then there was my one luxury: lipstick! Very good for morale!
And the challenges?
Really bad sleep and disappointing food! In fact I don’t know how I actually did it on so little sleep, mostly chips, and not enough protein It is pretty remarkable what our bodies are capable of, I think I was walking on adrenaline.
Every day started with a new challenge, the first 3 hours were relatively easy, the hour before we had our lunch stop was a struggle, everything ached or hurt, and it was hot. But my body settled into a rhythm, one step in front of another. Slowly I became cautiously optimistic that I was capable of arriving in Santiago on foot. To a certain extent, it was about mind over body and sheer grit. A positive attitude and determination carried me through and helped me over those final hurdles and slippery stepping stones.
Looking back…
Before signing up I was hesitant: perhaps I should have taken on this challenge 20 years ago, would my body cope, would my painful feet manage, would I be letting my friends down if I had to jump ship. Ultimately, I decided to sign up because I felt it was a golden opportunity to do something I had always wanted to do, Had I not, I think I would have been disappointed in myself.
In conclusion, it was a wonderful experience, challenging, humbling, painful, but so glad to have put my reservations aside and challenged myself. If there’s something you want to do, don’t hesitate just go for it!
Thanks so much to Alison for sharing her amazing story so openly. As she says, we are always capable of so much more than we think. Is 2026 the year to step beyond your comfort zone?
Last summer, Alison decided to commit to walking 100km along the Portugese section of the Camino de Santiago, one of the old pilgrims’ routes, first established in the 9th century. Here she shares her reasons for doing it when it would have been easier not to, the challenges she faced en route, and the exhilaration when she finally reached her goal. Prepare for an inspiring read…
Bravo Alison, an amazing feat
Amazing story Alison, well done. You are very inspiring 💪 xx