Sofico Marathon Ambassador Program

Last Sunday was THE DAY! I ran an entire marathon in Ghent, Belgium! Over the course of this journey, I completed 63 training sessions, clocked 619 km, and ran in 6 different countries across 11 cities. It’s the kind of accomplishment I never imagined I’d achieve, definitely another check on my bucket list.

The first 25 km were smooth and familiar, a pace I’d mastered over time. But the final 17 km were a roller coaster of emotions, with moments of “we’re almost there,” then “it’s nearly over,” mixed with thoughts like, “What was I thinking when I signed up for this?” and “I can’t go on anymore.” In those tough moments, I kept reminding myself that reaching the finish line, with all its pain, was a small price compared to the regret of not finishing it.

Crossing that finish line, every ache turned into a profound sense of accomplishment. The victory wasn’t just mine, it belonged to everyone who cheered me on. My coach, Aron, who meticulously planned my training and even pushed me during the final 5 km, was crucial in this journey. I’m also forever grateful to my running partners, Bruno Dixini and Momi Vargas, for sharing the road with me and lending their energy when I needed it most. A big shoutout also to Sofico for making this marathon possible and for the incredible opportunity to be a Sofico Ambassador. And most importantly, my mom was there, cheering and embracing me at the finish line. This victory is as much hers as it is mine, the feeling of achievement was amplified by her unwavering support and love.

There were challenges along the way too. Just a week before the race, I battled an intestinal infection and had to take antibiotics, which forced me to miss some training days. Then, two days before the marathon, a strong flu hit me hard. Despite these setbacks, I pressed on. I even found myself shedding tears during the race, tears born from a mix of joy, pain, and an overwhelming sense of purpose. Today, as I reflect on every step, every mile, and every emotion, I feel truly unstoppable.

This marathon wasn’t just about the physical journey; it was a testament to persistence, the support of an incredible community, and the power of believing in yourself. I’m exhausted, exhilarated, and eternally grateful for this unforgettable experience.

Here’s to every grueling training session, every moment of doubt, and every burst of triumph that brought me here. Onwards to the next adventure!

Two weeks to go. Gratefully, the first news is that the knee pain I mentioned last update is gone and I have been able to perform most of my trainings successfully. This due to more stretching and exercises to improve my physical condition.

Regarding the last trainings, they have been really challenging because I went to Brazil for a few weeks, and I really felt the difference in my overall performance. After running for months here in Europe, especially in winter, running in Brazil felt like I was running in hell. It didn’t matter if I was running in the gym, or outside, in the morning or in the night. It was already extremely harder because of the weather. I paid attention to my heart rate and by looking at the average, it was always being way higher than the average while running in Porto. Since the body was always trying to cool down, my performance was highly affected, and I needed way more water while running.

In Brazil I had the opportunity to run in new cities: Sete Lagoas, São Paulo, Belo Horizonte and Rio de Janeiro. The hardest was Rio since I’ve run around the city and the end of the race was almost noon, which made it almost unbearable. Although it was hard, after completing all the races I felt strong and capable by pushing myself, especially in this harder scenario.

Other than these challenges about the location of the races. A little bit of anxiety started to take place sometimes, nothing too harsh, but when it comes, I try to think about this whole journey I’ve been trailing until now and I tell myself that I’m ready for it. Sometimes, while running, I also remember about last session we had in Golazo about mentalizing the moment of the race. Especially when having a bad day and when running feels like a burden: I try to close my eyes, pay attention to my breath and think about each step of the race and usually that helps me going forward. This has become a regular thing and it’s funny because sometimes I get emotional about it.

I’m really excited about participating not only in the marathon, but in the Ambassador program. I don’t think I would have had the strength and wouldn’t go after running a marathon if it wasn’t this opportunity. I’m grateful about the opportunity and I believe I’ll succeed together with my colleagues.

First, I’d like to mention that I finished my last update by saying I was going to buy a specific pair of shoes. But sadly, the company I bought them from simply didn’t ship them. So, I had to spend more days running with improper shoes. Eventually, I bought another pair from a different store, a newly launched model: the Asics Novablast 5. I chose it because the previous model was highly reviewed online. So, I decided to give this one a try, and the results were awesome. I had been experiencing some pain in my shin, but with these shoes, the pain was gone.

My training in December and January increased in both intensity and duration. I was able to complete most of the sessions, sometimes skipping a day, but overall, I’ve been very proud of my recent progress. I originally started training for a half-marathon, but since I was doing well and my body responded positively, I’m now training for a full marathon. In the first week of January, I managed to complete a half-marathon while training, and I felt really strong doing it.

On January 16th, we had the follow-up in Ghent. It was really nice to be back and run the tests again. I already felt that my progress had been great since I had become much more resistant to exercise. Then, the results confirmed my belief. I improved in every possible way. I think the most important results were a 2% loss in body fat, a 1kg increase in lean mass, and an increase in my ANT from 10.1 km/h to 12.1 km/h. It was really rewarding to see in numbers how much I’ve improved after following the training plan.

Recently, I started experiencing a little bit of pain in my left knee, nothing too concerning. But I talked to my coach, Aron, and he suggested some extra exercises to prevent injuries. I’m paying more attention to it now, and I hope it doesn’t turn into anything serious.

In my previous update, I mentioned a trip during which I ran in multiple cities across Europe. However, these last two months haven’t been as exciting. I’ve been running only in Porto, mostly inside the gym due to the winter rains. But in the last two weeks, I had the privilege of running in Amsterdam. The weather wasn’t ideal (around 0 degrees Celsius) and since I was there for only a day, I decided to explore the city while running. I started from the Red Light District, where my hostel was, ran to Vondelpark, and then back to the hostel. Running in that cold was really tough, my hands were freezing even though I had brought gloves, but in the end, the experience was amazing. I felt really accomplished.

This past Sunday, Porto had a break from the rain, and a beautiful day set the stage for a great run. So, I went out for a 2-hour 10-minute run. My second half-marathon accomplished. It was incredible to run while enjoying the beautiful views along the way. I ran along the coast of Porto, where I could see the sea and feel the breeze.

I hope the pain in the knee goes away and to keep up the progress towards the full marathon!

1st stop. Madrid. Passed through San Isidro Park. It was really nice running around getting to know a bit more of the Imperial region. At this point it was still easy to perform the runnings.

2nd run stop Barcelona. A little stroll around Eixample at night. Everything all right, nice weather to run, beautiful places.

3rd run definitely a special run. I went to Palma de Mallorca. It was early morning, there was a little bit of sun and during the run I saw some palm trees. It was nice to see the city waking up. And finally I ended up at the Catedral of Mallorca which is astonishing. It felt really good to be running that way, especially because I hadn't planned anything for the path and it was amazing.

The 4th was London and the run almost didn't happen. I had walked all day and I was really tired. But I didn't want to break the cycle, then I put some extra effort and could do it. It was 11pm when I was out in the streets. I felt great by overcoming my tiredness and achieving my purpose. The weather was cold, but there was a breeze that balanced the heat of the race, which made the run more comfortable.

Changing countries again, I accomplished the 5th run in Paris. I ran around Montreuil. The area was very beautiful, especially considering I saw many different colored trees with their leaves falling. A nice memory to keep.

The trip didn't end there, but the races did. The next 3 days after Paris, I went to Zurich, then Chur, Bernina Express to Tirano, Milan and finally back to Porto. The schedule was tight and I ended up not having time to run.

In Portugal, I went back to the regular routine of running around Porto. During November, the trainings effort has been leveled up and the effects have been felt in my body. At two times, in the day after a training I had some considerable pain in the shin. Due to that, I started spending more time on stretching to prevent injuries.

And also thinking about preventing injuries and increasing comfort, I also bought a new pair of shoes, because the ones I'm running are not prepared for the volume of racing I've been doing.

The model is a Mizuno Wave Rider 28. It seemed like a great value for money and high quality sneaker (and I also took advantage of Black Friday).

It hasn't arrived yet, but in the next blog I will say if the overall performance has been affected by the use of more appropriate shoes.

Meanwhile, December started and the trainings are increasing even further the difficulty.

I'm happy about my progress so far and excited to see what comes next.