Wow Leo, that is amazing! Thank you for adding your story.
Holly , you have exactly the right mindset. You're still there!
Sassie, as BBee said, you only have a couple "extra" weeks in your training goal, but you can still get real close at least. And sometimes you won't need to repeat a whole week, sometimes it's enough to just do a 4-day week on a particular cycle. So don't give up hope on "Completing the program" before your race, but even if you don't will definitely be deep into longer run segments and you'll probably be able to run more than half of it at least. You'll be awesome! As always, listen to your body. If it's just sore, you can probably go workout. If it's injured then you need rest.
The one other caution I will add to anyone just starting, food for thought more than anything,... This isn't in play in the early weeks but as you get deeper into the program and your general fitness has made some improvements, you may need to push a little. What I mean by that is that I've seen many people get stuck on Week 4 or 5, repeating and repeating, waiting for that day when it feels "Easy and Complete" and for some of them that day never comes. 1 minute eventually becomes easy, 3 minutes your body will adapt to pretty easily... but once you get up into 5 minute, 8 minute and longer intervals, no matter how you slice it you're working out! That is where many people need to shift thinking into more of an experienced runner. That is, if I want 5 minutes to become easy, I need to push for 8 minutes. And even if I only make 6.5-7 minutes, and then 8 will come. Then you do a couple 8 minute runs, you go back to a 5 and suddenly it is easy. Again, always being in contact and connection with your body, be careful. Once you learn to push your limits a little in those later stages, then many people see the last few weeks suddenly open up and they finish strong.
As for me, the arthritis is flaring up in my ankles again. I'm back to just walking on the treadmill, but I'l trying to do that every day for 30-45 minutes, at least to keep moving. It's not much but I'm trying.
