As you can see it’s a stress fracture in the bottom of my pelvis. It is an uncommon injury, but sometimes happens with female distance runners.

It has been a really tough injury to deal with. I thought it would be healed in 6-8 weeks. I thought I would be able to run the Chicago Marathon and I thought I would be able to run Boston. I thought and hoped for a lot of different things.

I didn’t get to participate in any of the races I hoped I would. I even signed up for a 10k in the beginning of February, but couldn’t run it because of what my latest MRI showed.

Instead of going in to the depressing details I’m focusing on the positive. I’ve learned a lot this past year. I learned that sleep is more important than running and being able to jog a 10 minute mile is the most glorious feeling in the world. This injury has changed my perspective on running forever.

I’m a big believer that whatever doesn’t kill us, will only make us stronger. It’s the challenging times that really change us for the better and make us who we are.

Since I have been able to slowly start running again I have signed up for my next race!

I will be running Fleet Feet’s Soldier Field 10 Mile race on Saturday, May 25. It’s the 10th anniversary of this race and I’m really looking forward to running along Chicago’s beautiful lakefront and finishing on the 50-yard line in the center of the field.

This race is going to mean a lot to me. I have survived one of the worst injuries a runner could have and I am coming out on top. Being out of running for a year made me realize how much I appreciate and missed running and how much it means to me. Running isn’t just about running a race, it’s about getting out there and doing what I love and hopefully doing it for many years to come.