Marathon training question + injury

Sorry to hear about your injury...

I usually do three 20 milers to prepare for a marathon but the following training plan is popular around here.  It is from Brooks Running Shop...Brooks-Hanson Distance Project with Brian Sell.  They recommend a few 16 milers max.  They INSIST that 20 milers are not necessary. 

Check it out and see what you think...

http://hansons-running.com/shop/pdf/advanced.pdf

I have never aqua jogged before and cannot imagine doing a long run that way.  Congrats on that front.

What is your goal for the race? to finish? or finish in a certain time?  If I was going for time, I would want to test out my foot on land for the full 20m.  If you can finish it nearly pain free, you know you have two to three weeks to taper and get it even healthier.   If it isn't pain free, I would bag the race and look for something later, but that's just me.  I did the same thing this year due to an injury.  Not running, if I don't have a chance of bettering my time.

You might not be properly prepared but it is tough to give proper advice without knowing more details of your training and not knowing you as an athlete.

That been said if this was *me* I would check first with the sports MD to make sure I am good to go. 2nd I would build up my run slowly, cardiovascular you are probably as fit or close to the fitness you had prior to the injury. However your muscles, tendons, etc take a lot longer to adapt to the stress induced through training hence you might be risking re-injure. 3rd. 2 1/2 weeks off your fit is long enough that you need to be careful but not that long that your legs lost completely the endurance adaptations considering you also aqua-jog.

So, do some short runs on land and see how the leg responds, if (and this is a big IF) your leg feels good, then go a bit longer but how long is tough to say. You said 16 Mi was you longest run prior the injury so who knows, maybe the long run induced the injury or maybe it was the total running load. Instead of risking going 15-20 Mi and getting yourself back injured try doing half of the session aqua jog and the other part running. That way you will get yourself a bit cardiovascular fatigue and then do the other half on land to get specific training. If the leg feels good then next week do another long run and this time you might try to do like 30-40% on the pool and the rest on land. The point is for you to build up slowly and you can keep on alternating with your shorter runs some in the pool and some on land?

It won’t be optimal training for the race but if you are set on run it, you might not be going after a PR but if you train smart between now and the race and allow yourself to heal, you will be able to complete the race by pacing  and running a bit conservative. (slower) Good luck

Yes, you are ill-prepared.  I would bag the marathon.

Have you figured out what is causing the irritation -- for me, I get post tib issues due to a slight external rotation leading to my arch collapsing.  Medial posting is essential for me to run pain free -- as is watching my tendency to externally rotate when fatigued.  

Hope this helps,

g

PS -- I should add that self massage (getting right in there) really helps clear