I started the Camino Portugués Central for one reason: to test my body. From Lisbon to Santiago.
After months of injury and a left knee that still wasn’t quite back to 100%, I decided to start anyway. No training behind me, but with an undeniable desire to be back out there.
I believe in recovery through movement. Step by step. Day by day. And it worked.
Every day I felt a little stronger. The rhythm returned. The confidence grew.
And then, somewhere along the way, the FKT vibes started creeping in.
From Porto, the challenge changed. I decided to take on the existing self-supported FKT on the Camino Portugués, trying to make the fastest known time even faster.
One backpack. One trail. No support. No real plan to chase a record when I started in Lisbon. Just listening to my body, following the rhythm, and seeing how far it would take me.
What a ride. What a journey. What a reminder of what the body can remember.
One tip though: don’t do the Camino Portugués in August. 😅 The heat was brutal, and the lack of reliable drinking water became one of my biggest challenges. But somehow, that made the journey even more intense.