Lauren Elizabeth: domingo: un día perfecto para comer paella con la familia

I have officially decided that for me, this month has been "No Luck November." After weeks of Moroccan Fever, I finally returned to running this past Tuesday. Tuesday I ran 10 minutes, Wednesday I ran 20 minutes, and Thursday I ran 30 minutes. Thursday afternoon I started having pain in my left foot, and experienced difficulty walking. Since I live in a city, not being able to walk is not an option. Being that I've become an expert with diagnosing my own injuries after having worn two (yes, two!) air casts this year due to stress fractures and shin splints, I can confidently say I believe that I have a stress fracture. All of the signs & symptoms are there: swelling, hot to the touch, and sharp pains. For the first time I'll admit that I miss being booted.

More upsetting than having an injury is the fact that I had to miss running the race I had been looking forward to for months. I understand that all runners experience injuries, it's a natural part of the sport, but I just don't understand why here, and why now. Although it was devastating to watch from the sidelines, it was a reminder of how much I'm craving a marathon finish. I think it's a feeling that most people wouldn't understand. For me, there is no greater feeling in the world than crossing that finish line and exclaiming, "I DID IT!" It has nothing to do with the expo, the pictures, the swag bag, the medal, or the sake of being able to say I ran 26.2 miles, (although I think it does grant you bragging rights!) yet has everything to do with the months of preparation through the blistering heat, pouring rain, and failing snow. It has everything to do with waking up before the sunrise and doing more in an hour than most people do in a day, maybe even a week, or maybe even a month. It has everything to do with all of the times that your head told you no, but your body defeated those obstacles anyway. For me, running has nothing to do with the actual motion of the running. Although I was able to witness a record breaking finish, I want to be able to run across the finish line breaking my own record. Even though today was not my day, I just have to continue to look for the positive (I'd say paella is pretty positive!), and know that my record breaking marathon finish will come.

"That's the thing about running: your greatest runs are rarely measured by racing success. They are moments in time when running allows you to see how wonderful your life is."

-Kara Goucher