I woke up on day 2071 of this streak feeling pretty miserable. I'd been away on a business trip, mixing with some genuinely impressive people, learning things that have given me real clarity for the months ahead. But that kind of trip comes with a social side. Alcohol, late nights, early starts. None of that mixes well with running, and I felt it the moment my alarm went off at half five.

I want to be honest about something before I go further. If you are feeling under the weather, my first piece of advice is not to exercise at all. That's not the answer people expect from someone running every single day toward 40,075km, but it's the truthful one. My situation is different because I run on a consecutive day streak in barefoot-style shoes, and stopping isn't something I've built into this mission. So I had to find a way to get through today's run safely, not heroically.

Here's why running while unwell carries risk. When your body is fighting off illness, or flushing out toxins from a heavy night, your immune system is working overtime. It's directing resources toward recovery, not toward regulating your heart rate, protecting your joints, or managing the physical stress of exercise. Add running on top of that, and you're asking your body to do two demanding jobs at once. That's when injuries happen, and that's when a bad day turns into a bad week.

So if you do have to run, or choose to, here's what I did on the road this morning, and what I'd suggest to anyone in the same position.

The first thing is to slow right down. I was running close to seven minutes a kilometre today, which is significantly slower than my normal pace. Even at that pace, my heart rate was sitting around 130 beats per minute, higher than I'd want for that effort. That told me clearly my body was working hard just to keep me upright, let alone moving forward. Treating the run as a recovery session, not a training session, is the mindset shift that matters most here.

The second thing is hydration, and this one starts the night before. If I know I've had a heavy evening, I'll drink a pint of water before bed. Yes, it sometimes means a broken night's sleep for a toilet break, but it dilutes whatever toxins are in my system, and I feel noticeably better for it the next morning. Hydration doesn't undo a rough night, but it gives your body a fighting chance to cope with what's coming.

The third thing is listening to your body properly, not just as a phrase but as an actual practice. If something hurts, if breathing feels laboured, if my legs feel heavier than usual, I stop. I take a break. I don't push through pain out of stubbornness. The whole point of a recovery session is recovery. There is no prize for suffering through it faster.

What today reminded me is that consistency isn't about intensity. It's not about hitting personal bests every single day or proving something on the days you feel strong. It's about showing up, even at seven minutes a kilometre, even with a heart rate higher than it should be, and doing what your body can safely handle that day. Sixteen and a half years of this mission isn't built on heroic days. It's built on days like today, where the win is simply completing the distance safely and getting back to recovery.

That's the perspective I try to carry into everything I do, on the road and off it. This mission was never about chasing dramatic milestones. It's about consistency, day after day, regardless of how I feel when I wake up. Today I'm at 15,987.39km cumulative, with 24,087.61km left to reach a full lap of the world. Every kilometre, even the slow, cautious ones like today, moves that number forward.

And the reason I keep going, even on the mornings I'd rather stay in bed, is the mission behind it. I'm running to raise £1M for children's causes, supporting Great Ormond Street and BBC Children in Need. That's the anchor that gets me out the door on the hard mornings. It's not about my pace or how I feel. It's about the fact that every kilometre logged is another step toward that target, and every person who watches, shares, or supports adds to the reach.

If you're someone who exercises regularly and finds yourself unwell, my genuine advice is to rest first. But if, like me, you have a reason to keep moving even on the rough days, take it slow, stay hydrated, and listen to what your body is telling you. Those three things got me through today's seven kilometres, and they'll get me through the next rough morning too, whenever that comes.

Thank you for being part of this, whether you're here for the running lessons or the mission itself. Every day counts, every kilometre counts, and every person who follows this journey helps get closer to £1M for children who need it.

Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/e9648Xdl-Kk