pain in leg after running...what to do?

I'm hoping someone will give me some advice here... I started running in May and am now running between 45-63 minutes (=7-10km) three days a week. It's been going well, but after my run on Monday, i've felt a sharp pain that comes and goes, even while resting, in my lower left leg on the inside of my ancle, and while I know I'm not supposed to run with an injury, I'm unsure whether or not this qualifies as one - so I went running again today, and could feel the discomfort, so only ran for twenty minutes - mostly because I'm undecided whether it's a discomfort I should work through or a small injury that requires rest - and if it needs rest, how long?

Any thoughts are more than welcome....

I would recommend checking out some online running sites to start like:

http://www.runnersworld.com/channel/0,7119,s6-241-0-0-0,00.html

http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_5/index .shtml

V/R

Dave

thanks Dave - will check it out right now ;-)

I run quite frequently, 4-5 times weekly, and find that many strains and pains are felt after a run - even on rest day etc. - when i haven't sifficiently stretched after the run. So basically just really consider having a thorough warm down and stretching out of all your muscles as running does actually use many muscles.

Have you tried the RICE rule. Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation.  On bad days I add an OTC anti-inflammatory to ease the pain.  This link describes the process:

http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/sprainsstrain s/a/sprain_4.htm

Early intervention will prevent long term injury.  Also, don't be afraid to take an extra rest day even if you are training for a race.  An extra recovery day every few weeks can go a long way to preventing further injury and allowing for better conditioning.

I'd follow the other suggestions - take a day or two off, put ice on it, elevate it, see if that helps.  If it hasn't gone away in a few days I'd go see the doctor about it, a sharp pain makes me think you may have a small fracture and running/walking on it will just make it worse and it won't heal.  (My aunt actually had a hairline fracture in one of her ankle bones once and didn't know it for a few weeks when they did an X-ray!)  Even if it's not, the doctor might have some suggestions to ease it and help it heal more quickly.

You might want to check out your shoes too - it's possible that you need more support/motion control.

If you want to keep up your workouts I'd suggest trying the bike for a week or so to give your body time to recover. A lot of training plans suggest that about every 4 or 5 weeks you should pull back on your milage and have a recovery week.

Hope it gets better!

Thank you all for your advice - you all make sense to me. I appreciate it :-)