Pay attention to pain and the messages it's sending

I have a low pain threshold.

In fact, if this is physiologically possible, I may not have a tolerance for any pain, at all.

I remember having to have some blood drawn when I was a junior in high school, and I was so afraid of the needle, I wailed like a little baby long before there was any poking of my veins. Then when the nurse appeared, she and my mother had to chase me around the room, force me into a chair, tie my arm down and sit on me to get the few vials of blood needed to run some medical tests.

All the while, I hollered and screamed so much my mother swore she'd never accompany me to the doctor's office — ever. And, true to her word, she never has.

I will say I am not quite that bad any more. Pride has kept me from acting quite that badly, but I do avoid anything that might hurt — even a little.

Which makes working out with any purpose at all quite interesting. When I first started to play organized sports, at about age 9, I thought each ache or pain was the end of the world. My mother was constantly searching for salves or bandages that might end my suffering — or at least my complaining.

As I continued to play sports, I learned a valuable lesson about pain. It is, to a certain degree, what makes you stronger. Push yourself just far enough, and the soreness you feel is really your muscles strengthening, your body developing more stamina.

Then there is the kind of pain that we all want to avoid. It's real pain, and it usually means no more playing, running or jumping for a while. If you're hurt badly enough, it could be a long while. That bad pain is what you try to avoid as you train and work your way into new goals, new experiences and better fitness.

Since I have been running more regularly and longer distances, however, finding that boundary between good pain and bad pain is a little hazy sometimes. That's because if you run long distances, it hurts. Something aches, something feels tired (sometimes everything feels tired), but part of the joy is embracing that pain and running through it.

If, however, the pain is a real injury, running through the pain can be a huge mistake. I have friends and family members who kept running, despite painful warnings, and they ended up with far more serious injuries. In one case, it meant nearly a year of no running.

So being intolerant of pain is sometimes a good thing. When I hurt, I take a break. If it feels like something persistent and more than sore muscles or a little ache, I head to the doctor's office. (Hopefully, no needles are necessary.) Being a wimp actually makes me wise when it comes to injuries.