October 21 2013

NPC North Star Recap and Roar

It’s been a little over a week since my 2nd figure show – the NPC North Star. Since this wasn’t my first rodeo, I thought I knew what to expect the 2nd time around BUT…you know what they say about what happens when you assume things. As I prepped for my first show in June it was a breeze!!! I had the eye of the tiger, I was a fighter, I was a champion, you’re gonna hear me….whoopsies. Guess I shouldn’t listen to Katy Perry when I blog. Any who, I was in the game and I was ready for a fresh, new challenge. Since I didn’t know what to expect and I was afraid of doing anything wrong that would derail me, I did exactly what my coach told me. My workouts, diet and mindset were on point. And since I was so diligent, my peak week leading up to the show was easy. No major diet or workout changes, just the normal peak week stuff. I was actually surprised how “easy” training for a show was for me. Yes I was scared and yes I had rough days, but I LOVED it. After my show, I was ready to rock my next one and take it to the next level. So during my short “off season” I pushed hard. I took my workouts to a NEW level. I added a lot of muscle, I felt strong and I felt ready to bring a different and better body to the stage. This is where the Ass-You-Me comes into the story. Right around the 8 week out mark something happened. I hit a wall. Not a bump in the road, not a short little divider wall that you could peek over. Nope what I hit might have well been the Sears Tower. I’m not 100% sure why it happened or what caused it, but it may or may not have been in the form of what was in between the ears of a certain 4’11” fireball. Whatever the reason, I couldn’t get my head in game. I had a fire burning in my heart and a hunger to be my absolute best, but I was struggling mentally, emotionally and physically. I did my workouts and I ate my meals but everything felt so hard. I couldn’t understand what was going on. Why was the first go around so fun and easy and this one wasn’t? I did the only thing I knew how to do and I started blaming myself…I must be doing something wrong…it’s all in my head…suck it up buttercup… As you might guess, that way of thinking wasn’t doing ANYTHING for me. It just started a nasty circle. Question – blame – feel bad and insecure – lay awake at night worrying – wake up exhausted – repeat. I turned to my coach (which I should have done in the first place) and we had a long heart to heart. He talked to me about what was going on and help me recognize what I just couldn’t see for myself. I was so “into” the training that I wasn’t seeing that I had been training super hard for 10 months and my body needed a break. (ok…time for a redemption break here. Yes, I am a trainer -and a damn good one at that – and yes, I know all about how important rest is to the body. I was just into my training and going from goal to goal that I didn’t realize how long and hard I had been pushing to make the gains I was making. I guess I was caught up in the fun of it until my body decided that it was time to leave the party). So 2 weeks out from my show I decided to back out of my “to be 3rd show” on October 26th and finish strong with the North Star on October 12. After that I would have a long break and let my body rest, but until then I gave it my all. I made the decision to enjoy the ride and have fun. And on show day I felt ready to rock the show – and I did. I placed 2nd in Figure A class and I couldn’t have been more proud. Even though I didn’t do as well as I did in my first show, this was actually the bigger victory for me. This time I felt I EARNED it. I struggled and I over came. I wanted to give up so many times but I powered through. I learned a lot about who I am as an athlete and as a person and when to honor the person and let the athlete take the bench. So, after a little relaxation, recovery and refueling this winter, get ready….cause this spring you’re gonna hear me ROAR!!!!