Until four weeks before Ironman Melbourne I hadn't imagined I'd be using "ups and downs" as a descriptor for this race. I had trained so well and was loaded with expectation for a good performance - maybe even my best ever - then a niggle hit and before I knew it I was crying to my masseuse and scurrying off in search of a Plan B.
In the week leading up to the race my niggle didn't seem so bad. I was again filled with optimism until I landed in Melbourne and was reminded of the unstable weather patterns that had initially warded off any desire to do this race in the first place.
By now I was expecting race day to be filled with ups and downs and I wasn't disappointed.