What I've Learned From Being Injured

What I've learned from being injured is that there are a lot of emotions that go along with being an injured runner. And honestly if you aren't a runner (or an athlete) chances are you really just won't get it. So the first thing I had to come to understand is that there will be people who just 'won't get it'. They won't understand the difficulties of trying to maneuver this boot while taking care of an (almost) 3 year old. They won't understand the frustration of how difficult it is to get up stairs when just last week you were RUNNING up them. They won't get it. And no, telling me how this is a great time of the year to take off running, or that I really just needed to slow down does not make me feel better. In fact, it just irritates me. 
And I've thought a lot about how I got myself in this situation. I think it goes back to my really great 20 miler. It was my best, to date, 20 miler so far. And I ran it way too hard, and way too fast. It wound up being a 'race' instead of a training run. And I didn't recover the way that I needed to. And I pushed through the rest of the runs. I ignored the twinges and how things just felt off and kept going. 
This brings me to my last 20 miler.. the one I shouldn't have done. (The one before the taper). Training plans are just that.. plans. They aren't written in stone and shouldn't be followed exactly (if things don't feel right or too many runs are missed). I knew this. This isn't my first time around the ole running plan. But I really wanted to get that 'one' last 20 miler in there. And I did, but I should have stopped at mile 10. When I felt pain, and I mean true pain, I should have stopped. But I continued on. 
And every run after that last 20, even the little 2 mile runs felt off. My legs were too heavy. Everything just felt off. Going into the marathon, I had never fully recovered properly from my training runs 
And the marathon... well if you've been following me, then you know how that went (I Gave Up During My 2nd Marathon). I can't say that I got injured during the marathon, because I really don't think that it happened then. I think it started long before, and it was a gradual process, with the marathon helping to push it over the edge. 
I also ran some much too hard runs after the marathon. Granted they were short, but pulling 8's pace for several runs I'm sure didn't help with the sore overly stretched muscles and fascia. 
So all of that leaves me here.... in a boot.... Some days are better than others. I'm not going to sit here and say, oh, well, it happens and I'm constant smiles cause it's no big deal. Because for me that isn't the truth. This stinks and it came at a really bad stressful time. So no, being injured isn't the best thing that has ever happened to me. 
But I have learned from it. I've learned who my friends are and who aren't. I've learned how to improvise when needed. I have learned that I am stronger than I think I am. I've learned that I am a runner, but I am also so much more. I'm learned that I can pout and rant and rave, but in the end it's me who has to decide whether to give up or get stronger.