Pushing Through

Today I had to do something I haven't had to do in a really long time.  I had to walk for 3 minutes in the middle of my run.  I don't know whether it was the heat, humidity, tired legs, time of day (11 am - definitely a yuck time for a summer run in the Midwest!), or a combination of all of those, but I felt like I just couldn't take one more stride or I was going to die.  I was wearing my RoadID and was running on a busy street, so someone probably would have stopped to help me if I dropped to the ground, but I decided to swallow my pride and not take that chance.  And guess what?  It turned out okay...

I kept thinking to myself, I should keep going because this is what the end of a full marathon is probably going to feel like.  Keep pushing through.  Normally I would just shake it off and keep going, but for some reason this morning, I just felt like I couldn't go one more step.  My body wasn't having any of it, and I wasn't about to risk it with temperatures already in the upper 80's just so I could say I did it.  So I walked.  I kept it at a brisk pace and gave myself a goal to get to the stoplight (which turned out to be 3 minutes).

I could have thrown in the towel and cut it short, but I chose to keep going.  When the light turned green, I started up again and with that little 3 minute break, I felt like I was running on fresh legs.  It's amazing what a short walk can do for you.  Sure, my goal is always to run the entire route, but sometimes these things happen.  I'd rather take a quick break and finish on a great note than not finish at all.  

We all have tough runs, but the tough ones make the good ones stand out even more.  How do you handle fatigue mid-run?