In which I consider running and pain

1.
There was a great post from Jeff a while ago over at The Logic of Long Distance on running and pain. Jeff writes,

While the runner must monitor his effort closely and be very attuned to sensation and impending or present pain in the early stages of the race, James helps us understand how attention to pain can be detrimental in the later stages of the race. If, as he writes, "the preperception is half the perception of the looked-for thing," then the runner has to be wary of projecting onto his experience more pain than is actually felt. As pain rises up in the latter part of the race, attending to the pain actually magnifies its quantity, adding to the "actual pain" the image of pain in the mind's eye.

2.
As a coach, this problem presents a challenge nearly every day. After all, distance running--almost by definition--hurts. I once heard someone describe distance running as management of the body's pain. And so nearly every day, I have runners telling to me about the things that ail them. "Pain is inevitable," as that saying goes. "Suffering is optional."

3.
The trick, of course, is to know which pains to ignore and which to heed. That's a difficult enough challenge when you're considering your own pains. Is that pain in your lower leg a muscle that's pulling, a tendon, the beginning signs of a stress fracture, or what?

4.
But when it's another person's body, it's even more difficult. Maybe even impossible. Especially when we consider the differences in people's tolerance for pain.

5.
Lately, I've been asking runners to define their measurements of pain based on their experiences with it. "Ok," I tell them, "so this feels like a 7. Now tell me, what's the most painful thing you've ever felt? What's a 10?"