hip joint pain

Question
Hiya, I am a 21 year old female in decent shape and I love to run.  I decided a
few months ago to train for my first marathon.  Lately, as I've been increasing
my distance and my intensity, I have developed a dull pain in my right hip
joint that has become quite a nuisance.  At first, the joint just feels tight.  
Though I make sure to stretch and do warm-ups before I hit the road, the
pain will suddenly climax mid run, and I have to stop and walk.  The first time
this occurred, I was quite foolish and forced myself to finish the jog.  I limped
around for two days before the pain receded.  Since then, I have definitely
been taking better care of myself by resting when I am hurting.  I jog on an
elliptical machine (which causes NO pain!) when my hip feels particularly
tight, I stretch the hip joints several times a day, and I run on lower-impact
surfaces (s.a. a track or trail).  However, I still feel pain when I jog, and it
seems to be getting progressively worse.  My shoes are about two months
old.  Could the pain be related to my shoes?  Or form?  What can I do to help
manage it and get back to running.  I am feeling really discouraged.

Answer
Hi Jaclyn
Most problems are associated with alignment and weak musculature and trying to build up mileage to quickly especially training for the marathon.With out knowing your background and training schedule for the marathon,it is hard to pin point things.It could be your illiotibial band that runs down the outside of you leg,but unless you get your body in alignment it will continue.I don't think your shoes have anything to do with it.I have found over many years that a stationary bike is the best tool to insert into your schedule a few times a week.Replace the elliptical with the bike for a while and ride for time instead of miles,and then get back to me and let me know how it is working for you.Any other questions just get in touch Jaclyn.

All the best

John