I've found as a fairly active person that pain happens and mostly you just have to deal with it. It's really mostly a mental/attitude thing. If there's a serious injury you'll experience a different kind of acute pain and that's when you need to do something.

As a long-time runner I've dealt with achilles tendonitis in my feet on and off for years. For the most part I've been able to manage it through a combination of stretching, proper running footware, alternating with low-impact exercise like swimming, and wearing socks at night to improve circulation. Only a couple times has it gotten bad enough where I've had to lay off running for a few weeks to recover.

If it becomes a chronic problem then I'd go see a physical therapist. They can usually give good advice as to the kinds of exercises and lifestyle changes you need to avoid exacerbating the injury.