One More Time

When I first made a goal for myself to compete in a figure show, I expected it to be a one-time deal, something to check off my bucket list, a new challenge. Yes, that was all true. However, what I didn't count on was how much I would enjoy the process and the competition.

I enjoy the lifestyle. It is very regimented. There is a lot of planning and control. Stuff I LOVE (which as I've said before is certainly not always good!). There is always room for improvement. Destination events for competition exist. All of this sounds very familiar to triathlon, eh?

Probably the most shocking thing to me was how much I enjoyed being onstage. This actually was part of the reason why I did this. I am really quite self-conscious and never liked people looking at me. Odd, huh? Why would such a person choose to be in a figure competition where hundreds of eyes are on you? Precisely for that reason! I've figured out in life that the best way for me to get over myself is to do exactly what it is that I am afraid of. I suppose similar to the therapy employed to rid one of phobias; ie slowly draping that huge massive snake around your neck!

My show in Madison went better than I expected. I am in figure competition shape right now. Plus, I don't even want to say how much money I spent on that silly posing suit! Since I was brought up right by my momma, I need to get my money's worth out of that suit. Hence, I'll give it a go ONE MORE TIME!

No joke, after that I'm back on the tri bus. I just told my tri coach, 'I am a shell of the triathlete I used to be.' I can still slog it out. But, there is no fire in the tank, no reserve, no gusto. I knew this would happen. You cannot be all things at one time. I chose to put triathlon on hold for a few months and try something different. Of that, I am truly happy and proud. But, I am looking forward to getting back out there. I've got to move!

My upcoming show is May 10, 2013 in Bloomington, MN. It is an evening show of just figure competitors with over 100 entries. Bodybuilding is the next day. Now these 100 plus entries are not all separate people. Many compete in multiple classes. As will I. I am competing again in the Open class and the Master's class (old lady 40 and over). It is a different federation than my last show. That means I get to pay another fee for a polygraph and membership to that federation. Fees (ugh), they get you all the time!

I am super excited about this show. It will be bigger. Pro level competitors will be there competing in their own division. I can't wait to see them! Plus, big bonus, I will be competing with about 8 other girls  I met when I started this whole thing 6 months ago. We all were in a posing seminar that met monthly. I think we're all a good rock of support for each other.

12 days to go!

My diet and workout plans going into these last few days will be basically the same as they were for the Madison show. That is a relief actually. I know the drill. Familiarity is comforting. When the goal is to peak in triathlon, that is similar to figure/bodybuilding competitions. I hope to REALLY peak for this show. Time will tell and I'm super stoked to give it another go!

My coach, Kim, and I after the Madison show

2 Out of 3 Ain't Bad

I did it! I made it through my first figure competition 4/20/13. Notice I said first because there WILL be more!

My major desire after I was done was to consume 3 things; pizza, beer, and ice cream. After the show we went directly across the road for pizza which I consumed in great quantities. Unfortunately, they did not serve beer. I still was planning on the beer as we headed back to the hotel. I had to wash some of the spray tan off el pronto! On the way back to the hotel I spied a Culver's. Veer the car right and I'm on to a medium chocolate, peanut butter cup, cherry bluster (what are they called there?) By the time I got back to my room, I was sooo full I can't move and needless to say gave up on the beer idea and opted for the bed! 2 out of 3.

Same with the show results. I was in 2 classes; master figure (40 year old and up) and open figure. I won the master class and also the tall division of the open class. When it then came to the overall open figure winner, I was runner up. Not bad for an old bag! 2 out of 3.

I'll try to summarize my experience.

Things got rolling on Friday afternoon. I had a spray tan followed by a polygraph test. Fun, eh?

For competition color, it's important to be as dark as possible. When I say dark, I REALLY mean dark! Nobody believed me when I told them how dark I was planning to be. But, they knew I wasn't kidding when I was done! The lights of the stage suck all the color out of you. And for optimal showing of physique, color is very helpful.

The polygraph that followed was a bit nerve-wracking. Every competitor must take a polygraph test in an effort to prove that all competitors are free of steroids and other performance enhancing drugs. Only open class winners are then further tested with a urine test. I imagine polygraph testing ($45) on everyone is cheaper than urine testing on everyone. If you flunk the polygraph you cannot compete. That's it. All that hard work for months gone just because you flunked a not fool-proof test. Can you see my anxiety? I am free of drugs. But just the idea of testing and what was riding on the outcome scared me. Well, I passed. It's a strange test. You are asked a total of 7 questions and the questions are reviewed with you before the actual test to avoid the surprise factor. Blood pressure, some respiratory factor that I didn't quite understand and also some chemical emitted from the skin that I also didn't quite understand and never heard of were assessed.

The next morning I was up at my usual 5:00. Back down to the spray tanner for a few touch ups by 7:00. Unbeknownst to me, I should have slept fully clothed because I woke to several color-leached hand prints on various parts of my skin. The sweat from skin to skin contact pulls off the color.

Then it was makeup by my artist 13 year old daughter and hair by my dear friend. Thankfully they were willing to help. I am an absolute loser in this department!

On to the venue for the 12:00 prejudging round. Prejudging is where most of the real work and decisions are made. Symmetry, muscle tone, poise, etc are all assessed against your competitors at prejudging. Quarter turns all in a line and individual T-walks are performed. Thankfully my coach came down and helped to prep me backstage. Remember Arnold Schwarzenegger...."I'm going to pump you up."? That's exactly what happens. There is a pump-up room and competitors stand around and lift weights to puff up the muscles before going onstage. Plus, more skin work; oiling up. Not only should you be tanned but shiny!

I was so nervous at prejudging!!! My lips were trembling as I stood there smiling. I'm standing there flexing, smiling and shaking! Cute huh? My peeps said they couldn't tell. But they were farther away than the judges who are sitting right up front at the edge of the stage.

After prejudging, I went back to the hotel and tried to relax for a few hours. Whatever! I was feeling relieved as I knew the worst was over. But, I still had to get back up there again for the final show at 6:00.

The more entertaining part of the day is the night show at 6:00. This is when there is music, lighting, and an announcer. Most importantly, the results are given! Again each class goes out and goes through quarter turns as a group and individual T-walks. I was much less nervous and actually tried to ham it up a little more for the crowd. I really enjoyed the second part of the competition. Like I said above, I think I did well. For the overall award I was standing out there with one other girl. It was between her and I for the Big trophy and a pro-card ( giving the winner the opportunity to compete in professional level competitions). I didn't win. But that is totally fine. I never in my wildest dreams expected things to go as well as they did. Remember, I never thought I could even pull this off. All of this was just a rush. I had a blast. The adrenaline level is awesome. It's similar but different than racing. 

I heard my name called out from the crowd quite a bit while I was up there. I had quite a few friends and family in the crowd and I was so thankful for that. It made my day so much more comforting and FUN! My girls were proud of me which means more to me than words can say. If there is one thing I want to teach them is that if you want something, you go for it. The worst thing ever would be to never try and wonder what might have been. I'm still wondering if the judges made a mistake.

But every time I look at those overly-busted trophies I laugh and smile to myself that it wasn't a mistake!

6 DAYS OUT!

The excitement is building!

I've had a fun past few weeks.

First off, I just returned from a 3 day training camp with my triathlon team, Evotri. We were in Chattanooga, TN home of our Quitana Roo bike sponsor. By the way, the folks at Quitana Roo are absolutely awesome. I highly recommend any dealings you could possibly have with them all bike related!

We spent time swimming at the local YMCA, biking the 'Hills' (as the locals call them. We Midwesterners would call them mountains!) of Chattanooga, and running. I was especially excited as we went to the Y twice and I was able to lift twice, staying somewhat on track with my figure competition goals as well.  The biking was awesome. But I will admit, that I was easily put in my place. going from a max of a one hour ride on a trainer twice weekly with little hard exertion to a 3 hour ride with a significant amount of climbing in TN, was plenty for me to handle. But, alas, I survived as I knew I would. And honestly, I didn't get to run much. Saturday am, I bent over in the bathroom to put lotion on my legs before my bike ride and my back spasmed. OMG! I have NEVER experienced a low back spasm. Not pretty!  So, like a dipshidiot (my new favorite word), I proceeded to ride the 3 hour bike workout after that, skipped the run that afternoon and got in the car the following day for a grueling 16 hour car ride home. None of which helped the back situation. By Monday I felt like an 80 year old grandma hardly being able to roll over in bed. A deep tissue massage by Emily at Utopia on Tuesday and I was on the road to feeling much better.

I love our team training camp! It looks like it's becoming an annual event in Chattanooga, TN in April and I couldn't be happier. My teammates are like extended family from around the country. Really, to me, it's like a family reunion.

This post may get long as I abruptly transition into the other awesome thing going on for me right now.

My Figure Competition.

2013 Wisconsin Natural Bodybuilding, Fit Body and Figure Championships, April 20, 2013

Panic struck on Monday as my posing suit arrived! It is absolutely gorgeous and exactly what I ordered and what the picture looked like online. However, just like a lot of things in life, until it happens to you, you really don't understand.

The thing is eetsy- beetsy, teeny-tiny; like 4 inches wide for butt coverage. I put it on and about freaked out! I am 43 years old! What the hell am I thinking?! How am I going to get up onstage and trot around in front of hundreds of people in this thing!? What will my girls say? They will be mortified. All this is going through my mind. After a few anxiety stricken messages to my friend and coach, and scoping out Youtube videos to assure myself that that is what it is supposed to look like, I started to settle down. At this point, it is what it is. I told myself, "Man up girl and OWN this thing. You are going to be fine. You are ready. Just make sure that glue sticks and have a tequila before you go out!" Really, I have to tell myself this stuff or I will not get up onstage.

Wednesday I had my last one-on-one before the show with Kim (coach). I wore my posing suit and practiced posing with her again one last time. We did a short pump workout. Then we spent a LOT of time going over my workout and nutritional changes for the last week. I plan to do a post on this in a few days with more detail.

Big excitement for me.... I was also measured for the last time before show date. My first measurements were 10/24/12. My weight is down 8 pounds. Body fat via caliper testing is now less than 8%. 8% is as low as her chart goes for a 43 year old bag and my measurements are beneath that. Overall, I have lost over 8% body fat. The goal for me never was weight loss. The goal was to build muscle mass and lose fat. Apparently, I lost more fat poundage than put on muscle weight as my body measurements basically did not change. In fact, everything shrunk a little in size. In other words, I still feel like a skinny triathlete. But that's OK because I AM still a skinny triathlete. I would like to be bigger. In other words I would love bigger quads and more muscle everywhere. But, I think at this point I am proportional (meaning, not big anywhere!). I just think more time is needed to build more muscle mass.

Last evening, my chief cosmetologist (daughter Jordan) did my hair and makeup as we will do it for the show. This is really unfamiliar ground for me. I am not good with this stuff AT ALL but Jordan loves it. We did the false eyelashes and glittery eyeshadow; the whole 9 yards! I put on my suit and jewelry and took a few pics. Gotta get my game on!

Here's the thing....this upcoming week really needs to be about attitude adjustment for me. I am nervous and scared that I won't measure up. My fears are real as are everyone's when they do something for the first time. But, I have to work on my mindset and constantly reaffirm to myself that I have done the work. I have put in the time. I have NEVER looked like this before. I am doing something I have always dreamed about. In other words; LIVE IT UP!

20 days to GO!

3 weeks to go to Show Day!

This is not my competition suit. Hopefully that will be coming in 1 WEEK. I'm so excited for that!

The first 4 pics are mandatory quarter turn poses.

The remaining pics are poses from my T-walk.

Not show ready yet but hopefully getting there.

Weights, weights, and MORE weights!

I've morphed into a GYM RAT! I am sure you've heard that term before? To me the definition is someone who is constantly lurking around at a gym. Pretty much every day I find myself at one of two local fitness facilities; our high school weight room or our Memorial Health Center gym. And often for at least one hour, sometimes up to two. Sometimes I go to both at some point during the same day.

A bit about the gym culture. It is at times a strange bunch. There are the talkers and the nontalkers. The nontalkers also often are nonsmilers and nonfriendly and very serious! I try to be a talker because, really, isn't this business supposed to be FUN?! The serious ones tend to be younger men. They will hardly acknowledge me. I figure that's because they are intimidated by my HUGE size! (Ha! Ha!) Its' probably because I look old enough to be their mother! But really, I do need to start to ingratiate myself with some of these guys because as time has gone by I find I need a spotter for some of my exercises. A good problem to have! But then I'd have to talk to them and really I think they just find me to be weird.

Anyway....what is my weekly weight routine like? I lift everyday except Mondays. Mondays I try to get in plyometric activities. No free weights or machines on that day. Each day focuses on a different body part.
Sunday - chest, biceps, calves
Tuesday - triceps, lats, delts
Wednesday - legs, biceps, calves
Thursday - triceps
Friday - lats, delts, calves
Saturday - legs

My goal each day is to increase my weight by at least one rep for each set. Some days I am able to do more, some days only one, but most everyday I have been successful at getting in the increase. This over time then leads to overall increase in total weight lifted.  Remember, I am pretty much a novice at serious weight training. So, there is a fair amount of potential right now as I feel I started at the bottom. Just like with triathlon training....when I first started out the gains were great and as I kept at it things came more slowly but with the same amount of hard work.

Right now that is what makes bodybuilding fun! I have been able to SEE the changes. It is almost scary how fast things have progressed. I feel like I went from a skinny, half-way muscled triathlete to the Incredible Hulk! Now obviously, in reality that is NOT the case. I still am skinny and in no way would honestly consider myself huge in the big scope of things. But, I definitely am more sculpted and bigger than I WAS!

Clearly I have noticed how weight training has affected my tri training. I am trying to do both. But honestly my tri training is on the back burner for a little while. I feel HEAVY and SLOW. When I run, I feel like a lumber wagon. Not light and airy. When I bike my quads feel like lead. When I swim, I do whatever I can to preserve my arms and concentrate on rotation to move forward since my arms don't want to move. All of this is not because of my massive size! In actuality, I weigh 5 lbs. less now than when I started this quest last fall. I feel unlike a triathlete because my muscles are TIRED! Oh yeah, plus that little thing called a carbohydrate is sorely lacking in my meal plan. You can't imagine how badly you miss the carbs until they are GONE!

A little bit about weight training attire.....This is another thing I love about bodybuilding. You can wear cute outfits! The temperature is controlled in the gym. No need for 5 layers of clothes, hats, mittens, etc.  I think what you wear says a lot about your personality. I like fun stuff like camo leggings and neon colors. I've spent WAY too much time online looking at new workouts clothes. The other thing I've purchased to help me with training are
 Versa Gripps. They were recommended by my coach. I LOVE these. They are different than the traditional weight lifting gloves or straps and kind of combine the two. The long piece that extneds down the palm wraps around the bar or dumbbells (over or under) and takes the weight off your wrist and forearm but it also protects your palms. I still want Palmolive soft hands!

I've recently ramped up all my "dailies" to Kim's recommended amount. These seriously sucks up a lot of my time! Like the name implies, they are done daily.
1000 abs
100 pushups
50 back extensions
50 butt blasters
50 pullups (I do them assisted!)
200 lunges each leg

I am 21 days out from my show. I am SOOO excited I can hardly sleep at night. I don't sleep well to begin with so this has just added to my insomnia. But.... here I go again.... I am loving the journey. It's been fun to learn new things and watch the process unfold. 21 days and literally counting!

I AM not a slave.

I am not a slave (to food)!

I used to feel like I had no willpower over the all-mighty fork. But, the last 2 weeks have truly been an eye-opener for me. I've been on a consistent meal plan now for about 2 weeks. It's very organized and specific. I eat what's on the plan and nothing else. I am actually doing it and feel great!

Here are some examples of things I eat:
apple, grapefruit, banana, blueberries, raspberries
sweet potato, brown rice, brown rice cakes, old fashioned oatmeal or steel cut oats
white fish, lean red meat (ie filet mignon, buffalo, elk, all stuff I have in my freezer), egg whites, hard boiled eggs, avocado, unsweetened coconut
brocoli, asparagus greek yogurt, whey and casein protein powder

Nothing crazy but very basic. I eat every 2-3 hours and usually never feel hungry. But my calorie intake is not crazy low (1700-1950 cal per day). No salt. <1500 day="" mg="" p="" per="" sodium.="">
I used to CRAVE desserts/sweets. Couldn't get the thought of them out of my head until I ate some. Then, of course, I would eat twice as much as I should and feel guilty. Hit the repeat button. Day after day. I used to just think "I like to eat and this is my downfall". But I don't think that way so much anymore. I really feel like a recovering sugar-aholic. Scoof, laugh, whatever. I think there is something to be said for this. I equate my feelings toward this like those I had toward the night sweats of menopause. I thought "yah, right. It can't be THAT bad. Sure, they say it's like waking up in a river of sweat but how could that be?!" I have learned that people don't make this stuff up!

I think we CAN become addicted to sugar. Once it is so embedded in our system we crave it like a drug. And the problem is, refined sugar is soooo hard to get away from in our society. It's in frickin' EVERYTHING! Peanut butter, for God's sake, one of my favorite foods usually has sugar in it. I can probably count two varieties on our small town grocery shelves that do not have sugar in them. The unsweetened coconut I eat can only be found in the organic small section of one store. Not even in our bulk foods "nature" store.

I am not cured. For crying out loud, it's only been 2 weeks. But, I do know I am not obsessing about it like I used to. The worst for me would be the after meal time. I would so badly want the chocolate or something sweet to finish off my meal. Now number 1, I "can't". Remember, it's not on the "plan". And I do NOT deviate from the plan. And number 2, I don't seem to want it. Sure, I look at pics of desserts and think "that probably would taste good." But, then I can move on. Period.

Recovery is the key word. I'm actually kind of afraid of myself after contest prep is over. Will I regress back to my old ways? I hope not. I feel really good and hope I can find some happy medium. That might be hard. Time will tell. If you have even an inkling that you are a slave to what you eat, you probably are. Really look at what you're eating. Try to get back to basic whole foods. Ones that you prepare and know exactly what they are made of. Do it for 2 weeks. I admit, this takes a lot of planning and preparation. I make everything I can on Sunday or Monday for the entire week and dole it out over time. I realize this is harder with families and children. But I still think it can be done. It's like everything else we do in life. We get better, more efficient and faster (a triathlete never dies!) the more we do something. See how you feel? See what you spend your time thinking about in regard to food. It's been an eye-opener for me!

Stinky Pee

Did that get your attention?

It got mine! Did you know asparagus makes your urine smell? Bad?

I am now eating asparagus daily. Yes, 5 spears every day and within 15 minutes of eating my urine will  smell awful. Here's why.....The breakdown of sulfurous amino acids releases a "volatile" odor. Here's the other neat thing.....only 25% of people have the gene that allow them to smell it. So, if you eat asparagus and don't necessarily notice an odor, you still stink!

That's some trivia for the day.

Why am I eating asparagus EVERYDAY you might ask. Because that is what I was told to do! In the bodybuilding world I am a complete novice, newbie, know-nothing. But, my work life is based on evidence. So, here I am being asked to take some things on blind faith and the experience of others as I don't have the time to read or search for the research. And, truly, I like asparagus (for now!) so I don't mind eating it! However, the rationale as I understand it is that asparagus is supposedly a natural diuretic. It's also apparently an aphrodisiac but I've noticed nothing in that department!!! I'm tired people!

But that's not all.....

I've FINALLY got a meal plan! I am absolutely insane, I realize, but I was utterly giddy with joy when my figure coach sent me 2 meal plans to get started on. So far I have just been sticking to a basic macro nutrient plan and doing my own thing. I was told to keep my sodium in check and drink a gallon of water a day. I know! That is a ton of water. And how does that make sense if I'm eating asparagus for its natural diuretic properties. Once again, blind faith! I wasn't doing so well on the water consumption and low sodium.

Kim occasionally looks at my nutrition log on mynetdiary (which I love!). About 5 days ago she declared my sodium intake to be too erratic and now that it's getting closer to show date (6 weeks!) I guess it's time to get SERIOUS! Yes!

Basically, there is one low cal (1700 cal) / low carb (37%) day and one higher cal (2000 cal)/ less low carb day (43%, still low carb for a triathlete!). Sodium is far less than I'm pretty sure I've ever consumed (<1500mg class="goog-spellcheck-word" do="" everyday="" i="" is="" low="" plan="" same="" simple.="" span="" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" the="">carb
plan 2 days per week and the other plan 5 days per week. What's on the plan? Stuff I eat typically; oatmeal, eggs, extra lean ground turkey, lean steak (I don't eat that, but it's fine.), white fish, banana, grapefruit, Greek yogurt, sweet potato. You get the point. Stuff that's easily found in the grocery store. 7 small meals per day. I love it because I don't have to think!
My water intake has changed dramatically! I am now drinking 1.5 gallons of water per day. I will be up to 2 gallons per day one month out from show date. No, that does NOT include coffee or milk or any other beverage. That is free water. Trust me I asked if that could be included. No! I am told this preps the body for the cutting phase which comes the week before the show. The body is more willing to give up all the extra water helping to create the lean stage look. Blind faith people! I know nothing and water is not hurting me. So far my training has been going well and I'm getting where I want to be. I'll do it.

I'm particularly jazzed right now since I crossed a MAJOR hurdle last night. I am talking MAJOR! I went to my dad's birthday party. Cream cheese laden mashed potatoes, beer, cheese, fruit salad, red velvet / cheese cake dessert made by my daughter in other words, everything totally destructive to a well-thought out nutritional plan. Drum roll....I did not eat a damn bit of it! A freakin' miracle. I brought my own food on my meal plan! Can you believe it? My family is supportive. They know what I am doing and don't give me any crap. They know me well enough to know that once something gets in my head, I am like a pit bull and will make it happen. Hence, boring, repetitive food for 6 more weeks. This too shall come to an end, I know and I'm optimistic that the end result will be worth it!