On Monday, I decided to go on a 6-mile run, tackling an out-and-back route that would require me to climb a long, steep bridge twice. I intended to run an easy pace with no time goals. Sounds more than doable, right?

Wrong.

After about 2.5 miles and reaching the peak of the first bridge climb, my body gave up on me.

It was blisteringly hot and I didn’t bring any fluids (I didn’t think I needed them for a run that should take me well under an hour). I started to alternate running with walking. Then, I stopped running altogether and walked most of the way home. I physically could not run another step. Even the walking was making it hard for me to catch my breath. No breeze. Blazing sun. Sweat running down my legs and into my socks.

I was done. 4.5 slow miles was as far as I could run, and that was chopped up by walk breaks and stops.

At least the view was nice.

I came back into our beach condo defeated and sad. The truth is … I haven’t had a good run outdoors in nearly two months. Nearly every one of my runs has been a struggle outside. I have to stop and walk all the time. And no, I’m not pregnant (that would be such a great excuse). I’ve somehow just forgotten how to run.

I was recently listening to a Runner’s Connect podcast with Dr. Stan Beecham who said that if we want to be successful in running, we need to first experience failure.

I certainly hope he’s right, because failure in running is about all I have been experiencing lately.

Dr. Beecham is a sports psychologist and leadership consultant who works with collegiate, Olympic and professional athletes and authored the book Elite Minds. As I listened to him talk about the mental challenges runners face and how to overcome them, he noted that the thing we’re struggling most against is fear.

For most recreational runners, Dr. Beecham suggests that we typically create workouts we know we can complete, so we experience a series of successes in which there are often few failures. But by allowing ourselves to experience failure more often – doing workouts we can’t complete or struggle with physically – we can dig deeper and become more determined to succeed.

He’s right, of course. The most important lessons we learn often come from challenging runs or races where nothing went as expected or where we fought for every step. This bridge run was a run that should have been a workout I could do without a problem. Instead, it was mostly a failure.

So here I am at the fork in the road. As Dr. Beecham shared, we can go in one of two directions: We can disengage and be so disheartened that we give in or give up. Or, we can resolve to try harder and to be more invigorated to succeed.

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Right?

So that is what I did. This morning, I decided to tackle the exact same run. Try again. Six miles up and over the long bridge.

I wish I could tell you it was glorious. I conquered the run and the bridge with strong legs, a swift pace and no walking. Unfortunately, that’s not what happened. I did finish it. I went back and covered the ground that plagued me on Monday, but the story was mostly the same. I walked more times than I could count, although I ran a little longer and finished a littler sooner.

I went on the beach to cool off in the ocean after the run.

As I was heading back inside, I noticed these purple flowers growing in the sand.

Flowers this beautiful should not be able to grow in soft white sand surrounded by salt water, should they? I was suddenly reminded that despite the adversity of my runs lately, good miles are ahead of me. There will be that breakthrough run where everything falls into place and it feels easy. Joyful. My purple flowers will find their way back up through the sand. I just have to keep trying. I suppose that’s why the saying is “try, try again” instead of just “try again.” Sometimes it takes multiple tries.

In running, there are always going to be failures. Even on the days that may not be our hardest workouts. The important thing is that we keep trying. That we relentlessly pursue success over failure and not let our fear of failure consume or define us.

I keep lacing up my shoes day in and day out eagerly awaiting the good runs. Sometimes they feel few and far between, but they will always come.

What workouts push you most outside your comfort zone? How do you overcome your fear of failure?