Surf City Marathon (?) Training - Week 6

It hasn't been pretty and I am really starting to doubt this whole sub 4:30 marathon in 2.5 months thing but I am trying to stay positive.  I strained a muscle in my lower back two weeks ago and it's been killing my runs.  Is it because I jumped into a marathon plan that I am way under-trained for? Lots of (read: all) signs are pointing that way.

I've been getting in the mileage but it's ugly.  There is a lot of walking and slumping over to look like hunchback. It's frustrating because shockingly my legs actually feel pretty good.  This week it's finally started to feel better and my short runs (3-4 miles) on Sunday & Monday were a vast improvement.  The real test will be tomorrow when I go out for 8 miles and then Sunday when I have 13 on the schedule.  This is the problem with starting a training schedule on week 3; there is no room for injuries or slacking off.  If I can get through those two with decent runs and feel okay afterward then it's onward and upward with marathon training.  If I can't then I might have to call it once again and just push to PR the half:(  I really don't want to do that; I want to do the full.  If for no other reason than a couple thousand signed up for the marathon and 15,000+ signed up for the half and I am so sick of super overcrowded races.  But if it looks like a sub 4:30 is not in the cards then I may have to wait until March or April for a full but I am still holding out hope.

I am off to the gym for a track treadmill workout and then we fly to Portland first thing tomorrow morning where I will be taking a quick break from family festivities to get in 8 miles.  I hope to be thankful for a successful run and a Cowboys win but if not I have a  pretty good list of other (and more important) things to be thankful for.  Happy Thanksgiving!