Cry it out.

Last night was a rough night for Madison. She barely went down for a nap throughout the whole day, she probably slept for twenty minutes at most. I started getting her ready for bed around 7 and she seemed pretty tired as we played endlessly for the next two hours. As 9 approached which is her normal bedtime, she rubbing her eyes and cuddling into her favorite blanket which means she is sleepy and ready for bed. As I tried nursing her to sleep like I usually do, Madison just kept on fighting it and me as well. She just kept on fighting me by pulling away. I took her to the bedroom where it was more calming with no lights and she still wouldn't nurse so I turned to my last resort: crying it out. For all you readers, crying it out means putting your child in their crib and letting them cry it out until they get restless and finally end up falling asleep. It's one of the methods I told myself I wouldn't do as a mom, but there was nothing I could do to keep her happy so it was my last resort. She cried it out for a few, but it seemed like an hour for me. She finally stopped crying after ten minutes, but I just felt like a horrible mother for doing that.
Does anyone have advice on what to do when your baby isn't wanting to fall asleep after a long day? I know I need to start weaning her soon from breastfeeding which is sounding scarier just by the thought. The whole sleep training sounds like a train wreck just waiting to happen and I most definitely am nervous about it!