Be careful about pushing it too hard - I injured myself training for a 13.1 back in Feb 09 and am just now healing from an extended case of shin splints and plantar fasciitis.  I didn't give myself enough time to rest between runs, I was ignoring the 10% rule and was generally gung-ho and cavalier about training.  I've lost more time because I didn't give myself enough time to heal ultimately exacerbating my injuries. I'm now sidelined for even longer than I should've been had I just taken my time to rehab as I should.  Moreover, had I not over-trained from day one I wouldn't have been injured in the first place.

In short, if you are feeling pain, seeing bruising or whatever, take it easy.  Give yourself a break, hit the stationary bike or the elliptical; "hitting the pavement" too soon will surely be your downfall.  And trust me, watching the beautiful weather pass me by all spring, summer and now fall as I'm inside stretching and cross-training month after month after month has been incredibly frustrating...  On the positive side, I've been able to resist running in any number of races simply because I think I've learned my lesson *emphasis on "think"*

Hmmmm, recovery times will most likely vary by person.  The 10% rule goes like this: don't increase your mileage by more than 10% a week.  In all honesty, it really applies to the higher mileage runs.  For example, you run 5 miles week one; you would run 10% more or 5.5 miles the following week.

Another thing you can do to get back into running would be to do a warm-up walk for about 4-5 minutes, then do run/walk at one minute intervals - one minute run, one minute walk.  Keep your mileage low (no more than 1.5 miles 3-4x a week) for the first week, eek up to 2 miles the second week, then start a full run of 2 miles by week three.  Now if you're like me, it's incredibly hard to pace yourself - you have your tunes going, the air is crisp, you aren't feeling any pain - let's open it up... Avoid that like the plague (or H1N1).  Take it easy, really time yourself, 1 minute walk, 1 minute run.  Then do a 4 minute cool down walk and stretch like mad afterwards.  I'd like to say stretch for 20 minutes but who has that kind of time.  Do about 10 minutes worth of stretching right after, then hit some more stretches before you hit the sack.

Like I said, rehab times are different for everyone.  It would help to see a foot doc so you have some idea of how much pain to expect as you rehab - some is normal, too much and you're over doing it.  Listen to your body and don't be too gung-ho!!!

Good Luck

My former podiatrist once said that bone density can change with different loadings.  When he first got me my orthotics he really cautioned me strongly about not using them too much too quickly.  He said with the different alignment the body would adjust the bone density to reflect the different loadings.  He said if did start using them too much too soon I was at big risk for a stress fracture.

I have no idea if he was accurate or not.  This occurred about 12 years ago.  I don't know if collective medical opinion has changed or not.  YMMV.

Jim