Speed vs distance

So after my LSD run on Saturday I was extremely sore afterwards. Now this is not a new thing to happen to me. When I did my first marathon last year I was sooo sore at the end. My muscles all seem to be fine but my joints suffer... Badly! However, the pain doesn't seem to last more than a day. I have trouble with my hips, mostly - not my hip flexors in the front, but on the sides of my hips (must find out what this is actually called). Now what I want to know is how I can keep running without causing any pain (or damage for that matter) to my joints. I worry that the only solution is to not run, which is not really a solution at all for me, so I have to find a better way!

So anyway, I have been hearing a lot of different things lately about different types of training for endurance running and it got me thinking. Do my joints get sore because they are not used to the long distances yet, and therefore I need to keep going further to condition them for this. Or are they getting sore because of the long distances and could I look after them better by doing some other types of training?

So what I am going to be looking at over the next few weeks (and trialling to some extent) are some different theories I have heard/read about regarding less running and more of other types of training, or just pure distance running to help me go the distance. What I am also going to be practicing is my speed training. Will I be able to improve my marathon time just by getting in as many kms as possible, or do I need to include a mix of speed training and distance? Lots of people think different things regarding these topics for running, so please, if you have any experiences or comments about any types of training mentioned here (or not mentioned) please do leave me a comment, I'd love to hear.

And, if you are a newby runner and this is all sounding a little bit too much, don't worry because this little quote sums it up just nicely...