Race Recap: Run 4 Life 4 Miler 2018

The Run 4 Life 4 Miler is a charity run through the tree-covered roads of historic old Enterprise, Florida. Runners also race along the shore of Lake Monroe. The race starts and finishes at the Florida United Methodist Children's Home (FUMCH). The run raises awareness and money for local suicide prevention and mental health programs. I ran this race for the first time last year.

Training & Goals
I was still in injured runner mode following my fall and suspected fractured/bruised rib(s) at Colt Creek on April 14th. So training was a whole lotta nothing. I had one short 2 mile run the Tuesday before the race, after having not run at all for over two weeks. I felt a little bit of discomfort during the run and my rib was bothering me a bit for the rest of the day. It didn't hurt but the fact that I could still feel the injury after such a short, easy effort was discouraging to me. So I meant to take the 4 miler easy.

Race Day: May 12, 2018
I elected to drive to the race, a short distance from home. Humidity felt high and I was feeling lazy (last year I biked to the race). I found my running club -- it wasn't hard because West Volusia Runners were about 90 strong and we had matching purple shirts.

Soon it was time to run. It was 70°F and overcast with 88% humidity at the start.

Mile 1: 10:55
What the heck? This is not an easy or nice and slow pace for me these days. I was feeling good though. Ugh.

Mile 2: 10:46
Faster? Great. Aaaand then my rib / chest started to bother me. I could feel the injury with every deep breath and it made me so upset.

Mile 3: 14:16
At the turnaround I started walking, with a few running intervals (I basically went from a 4:1 run:walk to 1:4 for the second half). And pretending to run for photos.

Mile 4: 13:33
More discomfort and huge discouragement. Ugh.

After the Race
I got some water but skipped the offered snacks (bananas and munchkins). Feeling bummed, I didn't stay too long.

Recommendation
This is a very good, well-organized race. The huge turn out from our club was great. The water stop we hit twice and course support were all very good. It's a great cause and a pretty route. I'm sure I'll run this again, hopefully for a PR.

Chip time: 49:21
Placement details: 91th of 175 females; 158 out of 270 overall finishers
Race Amenities: Nice cotton t-shirt, swag bag, finisher medal for all
Cost: $0 (I won entry via a club raffle)

Report written May 16, 2018
Photos (c) Almost There Photography