A Runner Must Run With Dreams in His Heart!
My name is Vasco Batista and I have been working in the Lousado plant in the Preparation Area for the past 21 years now. First I was working on an Apex machine and now I work on a CT (bead winding machine) building beads in shift work. My racing adventure did not start long ago and it was a world that I met a little unintentionally, just 9 years ago.
It all started when I quit smoking because of my son’s insistence. I made the decision to quit an addiction, that had been with me for a few years . Putting it all together I was a “sedentary”, who did not practice any physical exercise. After stopping to smoke, in order to help me in the “fight against addiction”, I started to practice some sports. First I started with cycling (BTT) and some soccer games with friends. By the irony of fate, when smoking addiction had already been overcome, and I had already included a healthier and more active lifestyle, I found out that I had to have cervical spine surgery. Luckily, the surgery went well, but I was advised by the doctor to avoid the practice of impact sports, namely BTT. That’s when I questioned him, what would be the sport I could practice without calling into question my health. He advised me to first start with walking and after that running.
And so I did. I started to walk and a few months later I started to run. A new “addiction” began. The daily running prepared me to create routines, and with these routines I came to my first test : The Father’s Day Race (10 km) in Porto. I was fascinated by the involvement of the race and the number of people who also shared the same “passion” as I did. From that day on, I began to practice more and more regularly. With each “test”, that contributed in the overcoming of finishing and improving more and more my “records”, I also increased the distances until I arrived at the challenge of the marathon (the Olympic distance). The one that all runners dream of performing and I did not run away from this group. I was offered a training plan by a friend and did medical examination. I embraced the challenge with great force and determination. I began to practice and conciliate work shifts with training. Adapting working hours to workouts, hours of rest, meals and family time.
After three months of training, the “Day” arrived. The one for which I had prepared so much. On the 7th of November in 2010 in Porto, I completed the marathon for the first time, the legendary 42,195 km in a time of 03 h 19 m 51 s. That feeling was unique and indescribable … From the sense of accomplishment to the overcoming. Since then, I’ve run numerous road races and some “ultras” on the mountain. Marathons I have completed 16 and the last one was in the “borrowed home” Hannover, in April 2018. My personal record was in Berlin, in 2017. And being ambitious, I already have a new challenge for the autumn … I hope to be lucky and improve my “Brand”.
This article was written by our employee.
Vasco Batista
