Tempo Run & A Sore Hip

first off...i didn't make 5 miles today...not that i couldn't have...but i only went 4

back story...i went skiing last weekend at seven springs. conditions were crappy because it was warm friday afternoon...which melted some snow. then it got really cold friday night and froze that melted snow...making the slopes like downhill ice rinks...not cool. while on the slopes skiing, i felt discomfort in my hip.

even more back story...several years ago i started having trouble with my hip...a burning sensation really. i was in las vegas...walking up and down the strip...trying to give my money away...lo and behold, i was successful...with a fire breathing dragon residing in the cave that is my hip socket. i went to the doc when i got back and he told me the problem was inflammation caused by over pronatation (walking on the outside of the heel). short term fix...take 4 ibuprofen with dinner for a couple days...funny, that was a recurring theme...the doc's advise for alot of ailments was to take ibuprofen. long term fix...make sure to replace my shoes when the outside heal gets worn down and do some hip abductor and adductor (inner and outer thigh) exercises. the problem has come and gone over the years...and the fixes work...i feel discomfort...i do hip exercises for a couple days...take ibuprofen if necessary...pain gone.

back to the back story...so while skiing last friday night...i felt a sensation in my hip...no big deal...just a sensation. after skiing saturday and sunday too...i felt the las vegas dragon's little cousin moving in. it was a baby cousin...maybe a toddler...because i didn't think much of the pain...and i did my 2 miles monday.

back to the current...i had my first tempo workout of my training regimen today...i was supposed to go 5 miles. after a mile warm up and stretching...the 8:31 pace felt pretty comfortable. i was suprised by that because for the last month and a half i've been running at 10:00 pace or slower...and i thought 1:30 faster pace would have been harder. after 1.5 miles...i could feel my hip acting up...so i decided to stop the tempo run short at 2 miles instead of 3. i ran the cool down mile too...so i got 4 total in...but my hip is fairly sore. after my run...i stretched, did some hip exercises...then did some hip specific stretching...which helped.

i think i may be learning the lesson that cross-training should not include impact activities like skiing. i'll try ibuprofen the next couple days and see if i'm up for my scheduled 6 miler on saturday. i'm supposed to jump to 13 miles this week from 10 last week...which is strenuous on the body...maybe i'll be cautious, skip the long run, and get back to it next monday.