I am 2 1/2 years post-op and have had similar issues. Actually, the first 1.5 years of running, begun at month 6, went relatively well. I gradually worked up in mileage and intensity. When I overdid it, my hip would tell me so via a dull ache that turned more intense if I kept going, and would remain for an hour or so after I stopped.
Then I really overdid it. A hard 10K followed a week later by a slow 13.1 (part of a half ironmen relay; my metal hip is no ironman!). Every since then the threshold for pain is lower, and it seems to stick around longer. It wasn't until I looked back at my training log that I figured what I did wrong. I would not run for 3-5 weeks, and then start up again slowly for the first 2 weeks. Then, I'd see a race on the calendar 8 to 10 weeks out and my gradual ramp-up became not so gradual. Nothing crazy, but not as gradual as it should have been.
I thought taking the time off would reset everything, and I'd soon be able to get back to the same mileage and intensity I was at before. And for many injuries, that works! But not with the hip resurfacing pain. The body is an amazing organism said someone in this post, but it needs to get used to the metal hip. And if you take a break -- even if its only 3-5 weeks -- it needs to get used to it all over again. It probably would have been better if I just cut back on mileage and intensity rather than completely resting. That's what I am hearing on this thread. So, what I have I learned?
- If you feel pain during a run, back off. Walk and stretch and try again. Never run through it. If you can't run without pain, hop on a bike or elliptical.
- give yourself at least 2 full days off. Run lighter next workout.
- increase mileage and intensity gradually. I was always a fan of speed work-outs. .25 mile repeats are PERFECT. You run intense for a short while, and then take a break.
- Long Slow Distance runs have to be just that -- much slower than race pace (Matt Fitzgerald's 80/20 training book is a great read)
- Warm-up is critical. We've all been there -- you have limited time to get your run in, you cut short the warm-up!
By all means I don't have this completely figured out. But I think the following the above guidelines will bring me to a better place. A place where I can run a half marathon. Just not the week after a hard 10K!