Jane64 - I think you would be wise to pull out of A/D. Stress fractures generally take at least 6 weeks to heal - sometimes a bit longer. Pf cannot also be persistent and has a nasty habit of recurring. To plunge straight into a heavy marathon buildup, after injuries of that nature, would be foolhardy. You risk picking up another injury/re-injuring yourself - and, as you point out, being out of running for 6 months rather than 6 weeks. Quite apart from that - assuming the fracture and/or pf are sorted by the end of July (which I think is rather optimistic) that leave would you with only 2 quality months of training before your taper. Indeed, the lack of time would probably encourage you to overdo things. The best thing you can do is to ascertain the cause of the injuries, take the necessary recuperative and preventative measures. Once the the injuries have resolved begin a very gradual build up in the late summer/autumn. Edinburgh will be here before you know it and you will be fit, fast and healthy. Look upon the next few months as part of the foundation building process. The satisfaction of racing a marathon will be deferred - but time and effort won`t be wasted. Good luck.
