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As a new guy just starting out, you just had the opportunity to learn some valuable lessons that you can carry with you throughout your career. We all have our limits. The only way to find our limits is to push them once in awhile.
I know that guys will brag about doing "X" number of games in one day, but overdoing it has a downside. Besides the potential health risks (and those are accelerated in even hotter weather), can you honestly say that you are as an effective umpire in your fourth, fifth or sixth straight game as you were in the first few?
Personally- and I've been there and done that- I cannot. Fatigue limits our mobility and lessens our mental skills. Tournament directors that schedule umpires for many consecutive games, or umpires that accept more games than they can handle, shortchange the teams and players. As you push youself beyond your limits, the likelihood of mistakes and errors is greatly increased.
Now, you have a pretty fair idea where your own limits lie. I have a pretty good idea what mine are and everyone's will be a little different. In the future, you should try to work with the tournament director to come up with a more forgiving schedule (and I realize that the best laid plans can come undone for many reasons- cancellations, lack of umpires, weather, etc.).
If at all possible, I will let the TD know that I prefer to work, say, two games then have a break, then maybe a couple more and another break, something along those lines. Let me cool off, find some shade, get some liquids and a little food in my stomach and you will have a much more fresh- and effective- umpire for those games later in the day.
Sure, your wallet might be a little bit lighter from not working those extra couple of games, but your health and the ability to be an effective umpire should really come first!
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