A painfully abrupt end to an outside run

Medical description of my hip problem

Today's run (street): .38 miles

Yesterday I took it easy, covering about five miles, all walking. My hip soreness remained, but it felt closer to a dull ache than a sharp pain. Last night, I walked through the neighborhood and my hip felt nearly okay. I was energized and thought about completing the last mile of my route with an easy jog. I didn't do that, mostly because I wasn't wearing the right clothing. Had I tried it, I may have better understood that this injury is far from over.

I haven't run on the road for a number of days. I've either used the treadmill or the elliptical over the past week. The only recent outdoor workout I've done was a trail run on Saturday. I thought it was time to go out for a street run this morning and gauge the condition of my hip. I wasn't looking to burn up the road, but I wanted to stay within my normal pace window. I was conscious of my last run on pavement and figured if I could get past the first fifty steps, I'd be fine.

That assumption turned out to be wrong. Like really wrong. I was fine for the first moments, though my stride felt slightly off. The pain level seemed low, but quickly sharpened. I still thought that I could manage through it. A minute later, the pain became pronounced and I had to stop right away. It became clear that I was going to do some damage if I continued through my planned route.

I had barely been on the road for three minutes when the pain reached its peak. I started to walk, but the pain still felt very intense. I hobbled home and immediately put ice on the sore area. I then took Aleve and called a sports orthopedist. No more fooling around. Unfortunately I won't get in to see the doctor until April 2nd so I'll need to manage until then.

I guess this means I'll have to focus on upper body and core workouts until the pain subsides. Walking seems to be okay again, but it's clearly not the cure-all I thought it was.