Thank you, Keith. There is a person in each of our lives that contribute, inadvertently, to motivating us when the going is a bit tough. For me it’s the phrase from a friend over 25 years ago who encouraged, pushed and cajoled a group of us on a cross country ski outing with the phrase “One more mile”. I used it a lot today.

Day one we walked from Porto to LaBruge along the Camino Coastal. The weather was overcast and light breezes onshore guided us northward. We have complete 17 miles today.

The last two miles were a push for me and my companion. Not sore but the energy drained out in the last two miles.

We said things like “has it been a mile yet? “or “where are we” like kids nagging their parents with plaintive “are we there yet?” We relied to ourselves “one more mile”! Thanks, Keith!

We enjoyed the crashing waves. The forts that dotted our path along the boardwalk and the plants of intense green along our way.

We’re acclimating our bodies to the demands of the walk and I know today’s discomforts will fade. But on that next tough day (or at the end) I’ll be saying “One more mile!”