The early days

The runners I've met began running for various reasons.  Some for health or weight loss, some for stress release, some to recapture something they loved from their past and other reasons or some combination.  For me, I began running primarily for weight loss and later it became a big part of a different lifestyle and a different me.
As I ventured down the road to this different life I hit several big bumps.  Early in my running a torn meniscus tendon in my right knee, I think jumping off ledge while trail running but I can't be completely sure.  It was a nasty set back for sure.  It healed well and presented me no further problems other than the pain of healing.
Starting back to training I purchased a pair of serious stability shoes thinking this would help prevent future injury.  A consultation with the folks at my local running store confirmed this idea a they were in full agreement.

Next came hip pain I think.  A new pair of shoes, some exercises to help prevent it in the future that were in an article read on the Internet.
My feet went into revolt at some point as I recall.  Pain across the top of my left foot had me limping around pretty good.  I'm thinking this was around the time I ran my first half marathon.  A trip to the shoe store and a new pair of kicks to fix me up.  I remember a stretching routine found on a running website to fix this up.
After that it was the right shin, then the left calf, then the knee started to hurt, the calf again...................
Every season was new set of injuries, shoes, therapies, quack assholes with this device, that machine, etc, etc.

Through this I had trained for and completed a couple of half marathons, a couple of full marathons, fast 5k and 10k races, trail events.  Diving into the world of triathlon I worked my way through shorter events, 70.3's and an Ironman distance. 
Then came the final straw.
Along my road of training and competing, various levels of injury had become the new normal.
It was and is the same experience as those around me.  In conversations about upcoming events and seasons there was often the "injury disclaimer".  "I'l be doing this, this, and that, unless I'm injured that is".
Injury wasn't a question of "if", it was "when".
Injury had become a part of life.  Stressing over the training plan that is being adjusted for hurt time.  More new shoes.  Shoe inserts.  Seeking out the latest miracle cure.  Looking back I did and watched others do some pretty silly shit trying to either fix the current injury or prevent the next one.
There was the occasional article dealing with proper running form.  Some stuff about "forefoot running", keeping a higher cadence but nothing in comparison to the endless information shoe technology, compression gear, etc..
I played around with adjusting my running form but at the same time I'd read things about how "you run how run" meaning that changing ones form is no good.  I remember some articles about how forefoot running could hurt you.  In the end I didn't change much when it came to running form.
The "barefoot running" craze with the publication of "Born To Run" and everywhere I looked people were running in Vibram Five Fingers.  I tried them.  I didn't find crashing into the pavement with my now uncushioned feet to be that great so I comprimised.  Articles where coming out about how maybe the heavily structured shoe was hurting us.  I went to my local running store and restocked on now neutral running shoes.
The final straw was on it's way.
I showed up to the start line of my first Ironman in my neutral shoes, a sore calf and a knee I was trying to pretend was fine.  Halfway through the marathon my hips caught fire with a deep and brutal burn that stayed with me for the entire run.  I finished well and in agony.
I had scheduled a 70.3 triathlon for about 5 weeks later and after a couple of weeks of rest, some easy bike rides and few jogs I began some light training again.
Almost immediately during a relatively easy 8 mile run I pulled the tendons in both my ankles.  I jogged home in pain as I had done plenty of times before.
This ended being a big deal in several ways.  It was the last straw although I didn't know it at the time.