My training is going ok. That's pretty much how all my training cycles go. I tend to miss a lot of runs. I try my hardest, but life is hectic and motivation has always been a problem for me. After my HM last weekend I've decided to incorporate some speed work and tempo runs in the hopes of improving my pace a bit. I also bought some new sneakers because my plantar fascitis is really flaring up. I was almost in tears the last two miles of the HM. I've also got to do much better with my diet. Not just to lose weight, but also to fuel my body better for long runs. Hopefully it's not too late to turn things around and really start giving my best effort.
On that note, I'm reading all this PoT stuff and kicking myself that I didn't train harder for my PoT race. Argh. I hate that I will be stuck in the back with hordes of people when I know I could have been up further.
Don't beat yourself up! To quote Bobo the Bear from Muppets in Space...."Baby steps, sir, baby steps" (Insert your gender-specific pronoun). Don't overwhelm yourself with trying to take on too much. In that spirit, here are some totally unsolicited suggestions.
Pace....If you want to improve your pace, then look at any training plan and pull out some ideas (Higdon, Hanson's, etc) and try a few. Half mile repeats are good, as are tempo runs at HM or M pace (not sure what race you are doing)
As for your PF, have you tried using a tennis ball to roll the bottom of your foot? are you stretching your achilles and soleus (lower calf) muscles?
Diet....we all strive for improvement. Just pick one thing you can work on to improve (my downfall is chocolate consumption--but I have made progress in saving the wine for weekends)
Fueling....we are all an experiment of one. There are some standard recommendations for carb consumption by body weight/hour-then the form is what you can tolerate (solid, gel, liquid). You'll get lots of opinions on what to try here.
As for the POT and corral placement---what's done is done. People here have had varied experiences starting in a back corral, and not all awful. There are ways on race day to minimize the stress.
Sorry for being long winded. Just trying to say there are still things you can do without overwhelming yourself to still make a difference. Good luck.