Yes, and it sucks. I have hefty sympathy for you, because it is a struggle when you set your eyes on something and then are forced to give up on it. It feels like failing, I know.

But it's not.

Because look at it this way, if you don't do that one race, what does it gain you? It gains you health. It gains you a higher likelihood of enjoying your passion into a ripe old age. It gives you the strength to know that you can make a decision, even though it's hard. If you do the race, despite your injury, 'suffer through it', what does it get you? Pain. Prolonged recovery time post-race and possible irreversible or chronic injury.

This year I had lofty goals, and high energy to achieve them. Due to that energy, I ran too much, too often and too long. My body protested, and I developed a case of overuse injury in my hip. I tried to continue training for my half-marathon, but soon could barely run 1 mile without a pronounced limp during and afterwards. Against my wishes, but with my doctor's, I stopped running. Cold turkey. It was hard. I had gotten to the point where I loved it. Now I had to watch my fiancee training for the race I had set as my goal. NOt only that, but I had promised him I would drive with him out to the race, and I would jockstrap for him and his sister and brother-in-law.

It was so hard to be in that parking lot the morning of the run, surrounded by people who were doing what I wanted to. It felt horrible. But I survived, and enjoyed cheering them on. Yes, I'd have rather run it, but in the end it was better, because I started running again and slowly increasing mileage and now I'm able to run 4 miles without pain and am planning to do a 'do-over' half marathon in September.

It's hard but you're strong. Just remember that you only have one body (just realized that's what V said too! jinx), and that if you don't take care of it, you might never be able to do this stuff again.