Ive encountered a similar problem too. My advice would be that if you have any sense at all that your hand may not be the best (your getting check raised etc) when its obvious you have top pair or similar then put that top pair down.
Yeah it hurts but like you have said its better than pushing it and getting beat. There are always (nearly always! :P ) better oppertunities for you to push when you KNOW you have the best hand
Tourney play is about survival.
I did it at a final table last week. I got there through tight play and then i got pocket 9s and someone went all in front of me. Thinking about the 4hrs previous i wud have folded and waited for a better oppertunity (i had a decent enough stack to wait) but i was a little rash and pushed. He turned over pocket 10s and i was out. Yeah it was a bit of a beat but if i just folded and waited for a better oppertunity i might have done better than i did.
You dont always win tourneys, especially early on but you can certainly lose them.
Oh yeah and dont worry about looking weak. If some one thinks they can bet you off a hand theyll make the mistake of trying to do it more often than they should.