Thursday Thoughts: Reflections on Pain

Pain happens.  It’s a part of life.  Most of us, most of the time, spend a considerable amount of effort to avoid pain.  Athletes are different.  (Some would say stupid.)

The word “pain” covers a lot of ground.  We won’t even begin to deal with various kinds of non-physical pain, emotional, intellectual, existential and such.

Pain is part of a warning system.  It’s the body’s way of telling us,  “If you keep this up, something bad is going to happen.”  Or,  “You know, you just did some damage, you might just want to attend to that.”

A lot of times, we use the word pain to cover things that are uncomfortable, but not truly painful.  Think, soreness, aching, itching, annoying, a bit too cool, or a bit too warm.

That there are different types and degrees of pain is a given.  Others have spoken long and well about that.  There is a big difference between the pain associated with a freshly broken bone, and the stress of going totally anaerobic in a workout.

Workouts can and do hurt.  Sustained intervals in high aerobic zones are painful.  Long or very strong muscular efforts hurt too.  Yet we persist in this activity.  We actively seek it out.  Why?

I would like to suggest several possible reasons.  Many of us have figured out that a little pain now, can buy us a lot more time relatively free of pain later.  It’s a strange contradiction.  Bodies are intended to move.  But movement can cause pain.  But lack of movement will give short term relief, but will lead to long term chronic pain.  Hmm.

There’s delayed gratification.  We know that if we engage in some short term efforts now, denying ourselves comfort and ease for the time being, we will reap the rewards in strength and well being later.

That’s the rational side of it.  Want the truth?

The truth is, a certain number of us actually enjoy the process.  To borrow Joe Friel’s words, we have a “zest for training.”  We like it!  (That could be why some would say that athletes are stupid.)

Personally, I think, for some of us, it’s not so much a mild form of masochism, as it is a kick.  We like to push against the limits, to go out to the edge of things, to find the “dreadful bride,” look her in the face, and…  Spit in her eye!

All I know for sure is that good training is usually somewhat uncomfortable, with intervals of pain involved.  It feels good when we stop.  The rewards are great.  The actual pain is slight.  It hurts good.