Day 20 of 300 - Still here

Jan 28, 2026

I dusted off my mountain bike over the weekend and cycled about 10km over a few days. Aside from dropping my kids to and from their sports practices the bike became my primary mode of transport.

The week started with being out of my routine immediately; my kids were off school on Monday and needed some support. Tuesday was my wifes Nepalese birthday; between religious pujas and meals at the in-laws I couldn’t find the time. I also contended with being under the weather; my stomach wasn’t feeling great so I made the decision to rest.

Momentum is a fragile thing. When you take two unplanned days off due to a “dodgy tummy,” the fear is that the engine has cooled down. I worried that the first day back will feel like starting over.

Today proved the opposite.

After 48 hours of forced rest (Monday and Tuesday) and a weekend of unstructured outdoor riding, I returned to the treadmill to find that the break hadn’t stalled the machine; I got an upgrade instead.=

The Workout: 5km Benchmark

I returned to my standard 5km test structure. The goal was simply to get back to “normal.” Instead, I set a new personal record.

Comparing today’s run to my previous best on Friday (Jan 23) reveals exactly how the body handled the sickness.

Metric Friday (Jan 23) Today (Jan 28) The Verdict
Pace 8:30 /km 8:25 /km 5 sec/km Faster
Heart Rate 139 bpm 143 bpm +4 bpm Higher
Calories 539 kcal 611 kcal +72 kcal Burn

The two days of rest cleared out the cumulative fatigue, allowing me to run 5 seconds per kilometer faster.

The illness left a mark. My heart rate was 4 beats higher on average, and I burned significantly more energy to do the same work. The engine ran hotter, likely due to slight dehydration or the lingering effects of the bug. My legs also felt tight; something to think about when i stretch.

I am running faster, but it cost me more physiological currency to do it. The “norm” has been reset to 8:25 /km. Now, I just need to get the heart rate back down.

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