We Have All the Time in the World

Ten days in at the time of writing this and I'm changing up my Camino routine.  I'm still finding my pace!  For one, I think I'm going to walk less than I had planned, depending on the locations of where to stay each night.  My Achilles tendon decided that for me when it started aching more than usual, combined with a bit of swelling that resulted in having to break into my first aid supply of ibuprofen. Not to mention, on today's walk I had to stop briefly after only an hour to sit and rest and let the pain subside.  I decided that it must just be the walk/terrain/my feet and not the weight.  My back and shoulders haven't ached at all from the weight of my pack, which I'm incredibly grateful for.

I also think I'm missing things and a bit of the history that I cross on my path.  I should stop to admire the beautiful Cathedrals, but instead I'm rushing to get to the next point, eating on the go as I walk (which someone pointed out to me was a very American thing to do), and mapping out a schedule to reach Santiago when I know I have more time than I need, even with my hope to go to Finisterra.  It's like I'm holding myself to an imaginary schedule that could be sacrificing the overall experience.  And I have no idea why.

Who am I competing against? How will it change the reward or what am I trying to prove?  It's the first itme in my life that I don't need a schedule, or have any appointments to make, and I made them for myeslf anyway.

I've heard of people who achieved amazing athletic feats on the Camino like running it all in 9 days or walking to Pamplona on the first leg, but none of this to me was ever about the sport.  A couple of times, I've actually caught myself counting my steps or just staring at my feet as walked and completely missing the landscape around me.

So the new rules I want to put into practice are:

1. Walk less/slower (seek a true fulfilling experience in your steps)
2. Don't compete (even if it's just with your self)
3. Look up (except maybe not on the terrible downhill slopes)

My body will get me there if I listen to it, and being broken isn't worth being faster. And I don't think I'll have the opportunity to do this again, at least not in this way with the current status of my life.  I think if I didn't follow these rules and continued otherwise, it would be like I was sleepwalking, but without the dream.