IRONMAN: The Aftermath

Okay, so the first competition is done. Whew! So, let's recap the whole week leading up to the show...

"Too many cooks in the kitchen!"
I don't know how I allowed this whole thing to happen, but suddenly, one week out from the competition, people started coming out of the woodwork to get their hands in my diet/workout/posing. It was overwhelming and utterly confusing for me and really, I lost focus the last week which SUCKED. My nutritionist "outsourced" my diet to a bodybuilder at the gym I had never met. He had me sodium load (at 700 calories a day...seriously???!!! for someone with 8% bodyfat...you call that smart???) for Monday and Tuesday and deplete on Wednesday and Thursday. Started dropping water on Thursday from 2 gallons the previous days down to one. Friday was carb up. Seriously, I've never eaten so many damn rice cakes in my life. Yes, all the pictures you will see of me on competition day are pictures of a body filled with 4 bags of Quaker rice cakes and a bag of Skittles. (where's the colon cleanse when you need it?!) I think that pretty much sums up the suck-ass diet for "peak week". And honestly, I don't think it did a damn thing for my physique. I don't think it hurt it any, but it certainly didn't make me look ANY better than I looked the week before.

Let's Talk About Posing...
Saturday before the competition I met up with a woman from the gym who has done many competitions and competed at the National level. She offered to help with my posing. With this offer I expected her to just "eyes" with what I was currently doing...you know, "open up", "pull up"...that sort of thing. I definitely was not expecting..."You cannot pose like that or you will get called out." As a first time competitor, this put serious doubt in my mind which is dumb considering that I had hired and worked with IFBB PRO Tanji Johnson on my posing. So, the doubt played a huge factor into my loss of focus the last week.

Just plain overwhelmed...
How many times did I hear this week..."I need to look at you so I can tell you what to eat?" There must have been 3 or 4 people needing to look at me to give me nutritional guidance. You've got to be kidding me!!!!!! But shame on me for not stopping the madness. Never again. This further solidified the fact that I need ONE person and ONE person only to do my training and my nutrition. It is amazing how f*ed up that final week can be if you aren't totally dialed in.

So what does all this mean, you ask? Well, you guessed it, I have to do it all again to get it right. I'm heading to Olympia to do the Northwest Championships on October 18th. I'm not doing it in hopes that I'll grow bigger shoulders or a bubble butt or ripped quads in two weeks, I'm doing it for the practice of getting on stage and getting more poised as I learn this sport.

Stay tuned for Ironman competition photos and updates on the upcoming competition.

And lastly, a huge thank you from the bottom of my heart to my dear friend Kristie McVay for all her support along my journey, for being my right hand all day on Saturday and for being a super amazing friend. And Julie Norton...for the photo journey along the way, the unconditional support and for being there for me Saturday despite having some major family issues going on. You are a wonderful friend...I am so blessed. Thank you!