I Guess I’ll Listen to My Watch and Rest Today

Four out of five health metrics were flagged as outliers: elevated sleeping heart rate, suppressed HRV, higher respiration rate, and even an increase in skin temperature. It was the first time I’d seen my dashboard look that bad.

I woke at 6:20am and checked my sleep score: 46 out of 100. The watch described the night as “stressful,” filled with restless moments. And honestly, that matched how I felt.

I took my temperature and found no fever. But my body had that unmistakable “pre-fever” ache: heavy limbs, dull headache, that vague sense that something isn’t right. I swallowed two Panadol, stared at my running shoes, and made a call I usually resist.

Today is not a good day to run.

So I went back to bed.

When I woke up again, I felt noticeably better.

It struck me that the watch wasn’t telling me anything dramatic. It was simply reflecting what my body already knew. I was tired. I was run down. I needed rest.

Even in the middle of a half-marathon training block for April, rest is still part of training. Not every day is for pushing. Some days are for listening, backing off, and letting your body recover.

Today, I listened.