I always have good intentions of posting my daily entries. But Friday was insane. There was way too much to focus on for one person to control. And to top it off I was worn out and knew I needed a nap. So the day was spent shaving, doing some light cardio, a haircut, packing my bags, getting in my food, checking in to the hotel, getting spray tanned…oh and somehow managing a 3 hour nap!!! I got everything done that had to get done. Obviously posting to the blog was left off the list. I was also able to attend the evening show and see a fellow competitor strut her stuff. The figure girls all looked great and I could tell that the show was well put together. I rushed home afterwards in my freshly tanned skin and crawled into bed.
The day of the show was filled with all the hype and excitement that I expected. I woke up, ate my rice cakes and peanut butter, triple checked my bag, and headed for the competitors meeting. I didn’t see too many of the other guys at the tanning session or at the polygraph…so this was my first chance to see some of them. No massive freaks…whew! After the meeting I met my family and found my trainer. We had hours before pre-judging! There was really not much to do. Talked to some fellow competitors, talked to the trainer, sent and received 1,000 text messages. The time was dragging on…
Suddenly the time was there. I went and touched up my tan. Some of it had rubbed off on my clothes. And there were a couple of spots water had dripped. We went over a couple of last minute posing adjustments and tips. I ate a handful of chocolate covered almonds and a swig or two of water. Next, I ran and got shined up by the tanning girls. And then just as they called us to line up, I ran over and pumped up with curls, lat raises and pushups. I knew I was depleted beyond all get out when I picked up the 25lb dumbbells and struggled to do sets. Ugh!
Pre-judging could have lasted 5 minutes or 50 minutes….we were up there a long time. I focused as much attention I could on each pose and trying to transition from one to the next. Above all the cheers and people yelling out, I could hear my trainer’s voice. He just had to say a word and I knew what needed to be adjusted…’Spread’…’Legs’…’ABS!’ It was finally over as we walked off the stage. It was such a feeling of relief and excitement all at once. I had no clue how the other guys did…I just knew that I did my best, looked my best, and left everything out there. There was a mistake here and there, but otherwise I was happy with my performance. Here is a couple of pics from backstage after pre-judging:
I needed food in a bad way and we headed to get steak and sweet potatoes…along with 20 ounces of water. I was so depleted and water deprived that it could easily be written in the history books as one of my favorite meals of all time.
The rest of the afternoon I relaxed in the hotel room. I had a few hours before the competitors meeting. And then I knew it would be 4-5 hours before I had my night routine.
Here is a pic of my brother and I backstage before the night show:
Everyone has different methods backstage. What they eat? How they tan? How they shine, stretch, pump, practice posing…? Everyone did things just a little bit different.
At about 10pm…I finally was lined up and ready to go. I didn’t have a flashy routine. No smooth, coordinated moves. Just some simple poses…well executed. That was my plan. We only had 60 seconds, so it was going to be quick. I chose Prodigy’s ‘Breathe’ as my music. It was upbeat and got me to block out that I was standing on a stage in a not so modest pair of posing trunks, trying to entertain the crowd and win over the judges. It was the perfect music for just that.
In the end, I didn’t place. DNP! I learned so much from the whole experience. Lots of takeaways for things I would have done differently.
We went out for dinner afterwards. It was 10:30pm and I was STARVING! I ended up eating 4 slices of pizza and 3 frozen margaritas. I had planned all along to have Mexican afterwards, but they were closed. Pizza and margaritas was just as good. Oh…and I also had 2 gatorades and LOTS of water. I didn’t really want or need the food. I just wanted some liquids!
The next day I woke up as if I had been asleep for 6 months. We went out for starbucks for breakfast. No more black coffee for me! I had a grande pumpkin spice latte and a scone. Soooo good! I then drove back to my apartment, stopping to get a pizza to eat while I sat on the couch and watched Sunday football.
Finally, I headed over for hands-down…the best meal I have had in 6 months! Chicken in a red wine sauce, potatoes, butternut squash risotto, green beans with mushrooms, bottles of wine….and then the meal ended in a crescendo of wholesome goodness…..: POW!
The picture doesn’t do it justice. The smells, the flavor….mmmmm! One bite and I had forgotten all about contest prep…it seriously erased the last 6 months of my memory! It’s a chocolate soufflé with Haagen-Dazs ice cream, homemade whipped cream, and some hard chocolate swirls to add some crunch. Bravo!!!
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