Yesterday was a pretty typical day on the Camino. Nothing special, except for the the fact that I got an exceptionally early start to the day, owing to the fact that I was in a shared room (not my personal preference) with other pilgrims who felt that 4-5 A.M. was a perfectly normal time to start their day. So. I was on the road by 6:45 for a routine 23 or so kilometers to Bercianos. Sometime during the last 5 kilometers, I began to have some pain in my left shin. Nothing too worrisome, except usually any pain I feel is during the beginning of the day while the cobwebs are working themselves out. Anyway, I checked into my albergue early, around 2:30 and got settled in. I took a nap, had some dinner and enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine on the patio with Maryellen, Laura and Colleen, who are also all educators.

Fast forward to this morning. I left the albergue a little after 8, and the leg was still hurting. Pretty normal for mornings, but then it didn’t resolve. I planned to stop for breakfast 8 kms in, but by kilometer 5, I was hobbling. Something was wrong, more than just morning stiffness. I stopped for a bite, and got a ride to the nearest medical center.

Thankfully there’s such a thing as Google Translate, because I don’t have the vocabulary to describe what was going on with my leg. They diagnosed me with muscle strain/pulled muscle. Basically an “overuse injury”. Seriously?? 3.5 weeks in and halfway across the Camino? Not while hiking over the Pyrenees nor while pulling 18 mile days, but on a very manageable 14-15 mile day on flat terrain. What. The. Actual.

Here’s the fun part…they said “no hiking for 4-5 days”. I tried to bargain with the doc and said, “How about two and a half days?” She glared at me in Spanish. I didn’t need Google Translate for that. So. I’m moored in León…a lovely big city that I’d normally have a great time meandering through and exploring. Except I can’t. I’ll be here, elevating the problem leg and taking anti inflammatories for the next two days. I’d love to be back on the trail on Friday, but I may need to extend that by a day and adjust my mileage at the end. I have a little bit of flexibility built in. But, damn!

Not sure what the Camino lesson in all of this is…except maybe growth in confidence that comes from figuring out how to get medical care while carrying everything I have, while halfway around the world, and navigating changes in plans.

The positives….the Juliet balcony in my room overlooks the original Roman wall of the city and the Cathedral. But damn it’s going to be hard to resist the urge to go exploring those things!