If you run a lot, you learn to tolerate a certain amount of pain. You can't run for four hours straight and not feel bad once in a while. The trick is to know when it's serious.

If you're looking for advice, forget it. I'm inclined to say that if you can take the pain and keep running, it's not that serious. I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure that's bad advice.

I suspect that I should be taking it easier, and I'm going to try, starting tomorrow (does that sound like an addict? Afraid so. I piled on the miles last night and plan to do more tonight, in anticipation).

I've been dealing with sharp pains in one of my hips (and sometimes behind) that seems to be the result of various overly tight muscles and tendons. The thing is, it doesn't hurt when I run. It hurts when I stop. It doesn't hurt much, but it keeps me up nights, and I get grumpy when I'm short on sleep.

I've been trying to deal with it by stretching and seeing a local sports massage expert (more on that later!) but it's looking as though I need to do more... I need to ease up and rest.

I hate that. I don't train all that hard, but I seldom take more than two days off in a row, and I like to run anywhere from six to 15 miles at a time (I'll settle for less, when I must), at least four and usually five days a week. Naturally, I do some longer runs when there's a marathon on my horizon. I am pretty compulsive about it, and I'm okay with that. I consider it the best of my vices. It kills me to have to slack off, but I suppose better now than in the spring, when there are races to run.