Making the training work for me

You might have noted my blog title change from Knee OA Sucks to Running with Knee OA. I think my former title certainly captured how I felt about my condition for my first year after diagnosis, but now I have come to see my knee OA as something that will always be with me but I will no longer allow to rule me or my decisions.
This past weekend was a struggle to fit in my 19km of long slow distance running (LSD), so I split it into two parts. I did a scorching hot 7km on Friday evening and the other 11km on Saturday morning (I am aware I only managed 18km but hey, I was in a rush). I know from experience this is not how to correctly do a LSD run, but when time is a factor and its a fall back week, I think the occasional LSD split is alright. I am very happy to report that neither run left me totally destroyed so I think my training is going pretty well.
On the long drive to my cousin's wedding this weekend my husband and I had a rare conversation about my running. He asked how it was going and how my knee was coping. I told him that while I am sure I can get my distance back up to a half or even full marathon again, my time is ridiculously slow, so slow I am assured to finish last in any race I would enter. I know what you're thinking; that's a piss-poor way to assume your speed in a few months time. I say I'm being realistic. That my long runs take almost 1.5 times longer than they used to and that puts me well at the back of the pack in any local race. I've finished last, and am okay with that to a point. My issue is keeping people around an event because I'm too stubborn to quit. So my solution is to do a virtual race. He said whatever decision I made was okay but that he thought I could do both an actual and a virtual race (a very rare show of support on his part lately). I was touched. Just that tidbit of support has me looking at the marathon plan again, thinking maybe, just maybe I can do it. This week's scheduled 24km will be a challenge, especially since I am crunched for time again with my husband headed out to a multi-day music event and I'll be chilling with our 9 year old at home. Basically I have 4 days to fit in my 4 running days. I may save the 5km run for the weekend when I can do it on my treadmill so I can fit in a rest day before or after the 24km run. The question is though, how the hell do I fit in a 3 hour run when I only have 1.5 hours to do it?!