I need to catch up!!!
 I have been having TERRIBLE sciatic pain, and when i tried running last week - the only run i have actually done in weeks, it did not turn out well. 4 slow miles on the treadmill, my sciatic nerve hurt with every step, but not my knee or calves or anything else. So i thought all was good.
Then the next morning, i could hardly get out of bed. My knee hurt, my calve had cramping, and my hamstring was very sore, and yes, my sciatic nerve hurt all the way down from my back to  my bottom to my knee. I wore a knee brace all day, ate ibuprofen,  and hobbled around.

I have been doing cycling in the evenings, and once in a while walking, but seriously walking hurts with every step. So my miles have been much shorter than they should be, but now with my ham string.... It is now 5 days after that slow run and it still aches. I walked yesterday 8.5 miles at a pretty slow pace, it ended up taking me 2 1/2 hours which was an 18 minute pace. That is too slow for the half i am signed up for in 4 weeks, and even too slow for the St George Marathon.

For the Timpanogas Half, i have to maintain a 14 minute mile for the first 7.5 miles, they close the road at the 7.5 mile point to runners after 1 hour and 45 minutes after the start. You would think since it is downhill, that would be easy, but downhill hurts everything in my leg right now. St George marathon also has a cutoff at the 23 mile mark  at 6 hours - a 16:00 minute pace.
I go in to the doctor a week from today and get a cortisone shot in my knee, that will be one spot that will be less painful. Then we will discuss the next thing to try for my sciatic nerve. The cortiroids he put me on for the inflammation, did absolutely nothing for the sciatica.

I do not want to walk the marathon in October, the whole thing anyway, that is not my plan and would be nothing but a big disappointment if that is where i am at that point. I have 13 weeks to get moving and get the miles in. Even walking 8.6 yesterday made my legs tired.
I have time to try plans for healing, but not much, and I know there are marathons almost all year long - somewhere.
I might eventually need to decide which way to go.
Walking an entire marathon that I had planned to run/walk would be a failure to me. Walking is perfectly fine, if that is your goal. Mine is to be able to do run/walks interval the whole way. And if it gets to the walking only point for this year, i am pretty sure i am going to wait till next year when i can accomplish my goal.
We'll see, and keeping my fingers crossed for less pain!