I think we’re all looking for someone to answer this question for us, to relieve us from the pressure of possibly making the wrong decision. But here’s the thing: there’s never one single answer, because it’s different every time. As with any choice, one must consider all the information at hand and apply it to each unique situation with its unique set of circumstances. Here’s an example: I once sprained my ankle at mile 40 of a 100 and continued. I ended up injured for months and months afterwards and regretted it, but at the time, I thought the horror of not finishing would be worse. I was wrong, and put the experience in the memory bank, vowing never to do that again. Fast forward to this past summer, during the Hardrock 100, a race that took me 7 years of applying to get in. My dream race. At mile 85, the back of my knee was hurting so bad I could barely straighten my leg while climbing. I knew that continuing the race would likely cause a lasting injury. But because finishing was worth it, and because I knew that I’d be fine with taking some time off to heal afterwards, as I was wanting to take a break to have kids – I kept going. It did lead to a bigger injury and I am still working on recovering it fully 8 months later. But I have no regrets, and am still happy with my decision. However, I can’t say that I would have made the same decision if it wasn’t Hardrock, in fact, I know I probably wouldn’t have. I think all we can ever do in these types of situation is trust ourselves and then deal with the outcome regardless. Sometimes we’ll make the right choice, and sometimes we’ll make the wrong one – but we continually gain more personal evidence for our future decisions throughout our running careers.