12 days remain

Starting weight…188.

Taking time to consider the aftermath is about the only thing keeping me focused today.  I slept in later than normal, ate breakfast, and headed to the park for a walk around the track.  It was way too nice in KC to go to the gym yet.  So 90 minutes of 70 degree weather was amazing!  I stopped at Starbucks on the way home for my caffeine fix and then was ready for the second meal of the day.  What do I like most about a 3 day weekend?  No agenda!  Next stop…the gym!  Arms and chest and abs and 60 minutes on the bike.  My normal gym was closed for the holiday and ended up spending $10 for a guest pass at another place.  I didn’t mind…much better people watching at this place (totally worth the price of admission).  And now back at home…pot of coffee, laptop, my DVR, and catching up on all things virtual.  You know you had a good workout when your abs hurt just sitting on the couch. 

Back to the aftermath…

If you had asked me 2 days ago what my plans were after the show…I would have replied…’Mexican!’  That was about as far as I had thought on the topic.  But perhaps most people want to know my plans beyond Saturday night following the show.  Surely there will be plenty of meal plans and workout schedules in my future.  I haven’t committed to any future contest preps, yet.  But above all else…I have focused every bit of effort for the past 22 weeks on training.  Every hour of every day was planned and controlled.  Strong mind, strong body!  So if I have the strength and determination to do anything like this for so long….perhaps I need to re-focus that energy on another challenge.  I’ve thought over the past few days…what is something that would challenge me?  What is something that would take weeks, months, or even years to accomplish?  How could I balance this with normal life?  Is there anything I ever wanted to do…and was told no?  What is the financial requirement?  What is the payoff in the end?  What is the risk of failure?  You can consider these questions my decision tree.  I know I’ve thought a lot about each of these and come up with some ideas of what I want to do in the aftermath of the show.  I also know what I don’t want to do…sit at home with no ambition or goal in life.  Ick! 

I guess over the past year…throughout training for the half marathon and now the contest prep for the bodybuilding show…my mantra is just as the saying goes…if you don’t live for something, you’ll die for anything.  Sort of morbid in a way, but who wants to live for nothing?  

Suggestions are certainly welcome, but here are my considerations so far (in no particular order):

• Learn a foreign language and then spend 2 weeks in that country (Italy, Brazil, China).
• Learn a new skill.  (Skiing, playing guitar, cooking).
• Become a food/wine snob.  Go 6 months never eating at the same restaurant in KC.
• Use my knowledge and experience from training over the past year to help someone else.