We left the New Year’s Eve party at 11.45pm, not realising that was the time, but as my brain was befuddled from fatigue and cold, we missed the massed hugs and opportunity to pass on my virus to lots of others. Instead we entered home at 11.58pm and saw in the New Year with our old dog Jimmy.

A celebratory and medicinal brandy later, and it was to bed. However, during the night the cough turned into a strong sneeze and headache. I was dreading picking up a bad cold. I was reminded of a friend who attempted a charity bike ride every day for 30 days recently and he had to miss a couple right at the end as he came down with a heavy one.

By the time I was in the water to begin triathlon number 63, when the gym opened at 11am, I was worried that I was about to suffer. This proved not to be the case as I felt much better than the day before on the 1,500m swim, the 40km cycle was below 1 hour 10 minutes and the 10km run was only just over 50 minutes, despite the fact I was taking it easier.

By the time I was home afterwards though, I knew I needed plenty of sleep as the sneezing was getting worse and I was feeling very light-headed.

I really hope I can recover while continuing on my quest to complete 100 Olympic-distance triathlons in 100 consecutive days on behalf of the UK Police Memorial fundraising appeal.

As I do every day, I paid tribute to the police officers and staff who died on that date. On January 1, they are:

1824 – Special Constable James Grainge – Parish of Ridge, Hertfordshire

1865 – Police Constable Thomas Temperley – Durham County Constabulary

1869 – Inspector Lachlan McKinnon – Greenock Burgh Police

1918 – Police Constable Robert Chapman – Salford Borough Police

1921 – Police Constable Michael Malone – Royal Irish Constabulary

1941 – War Reserve Constable David Roberts – Lancashire County Constabulary

1942 – War Reserve Constable Herbert Chittenden – Kent County Constabulary

1944 – Police Constable Joseph Plant – West Riding of Yorkshire Constabulary

1960 – Police Constable Edward Dorney – Metropolitan Police

1967 – Inspector James Bradley – Oxfordshire County Constabulary

1972 – Police Constable Matthew Brown – Lanarkshire Constabulary

1986 – Police Constable James McCandless – Royal Ulster Constabulary, GC

1986 – Reserve Constable Michael Williams – Royal Ulster Constabulary, GC

1991 – Police Constable Gavin Luckhurst – Metropolitan Police

1994 – Inspector Alan Craggs – Surrey Police

2003 – Police Constable Tokunbo Ezobi – Metropolitan Police