30 before 30

Some people have a mid life crisis.  That’s normal and widely accepted.  Probably actually expected of today’s over worked under paid highly stressed American population.  But what about a quarter life crisis?  I think this is becoming more common, at least with me and my friend group.  So here’s the story of my ongoing quarter life crisis….

When I turned 25 I felt like it was time to grow up, be an adult, and do something meaningful with my life.  So, I bought a condo.  I committed to a life and career in Atlanta.  OK good.  Done.  Move on with my new life, right?  Well, not quite.  Then at 26 I started morphing into the corporate zombie world of work, work, work…. I was spending all my time and energy in the office and neglecting things that could make me happier in life.  So what did I do?  I took off for Paris.  Spent three weeks with my friend Natalie and didn’t have an ounce of responsibility or care.  No to-do list, no schedule, no worries.  It was fantastic.  I learned to slow down and appreciate all of life’s little, yet great treats.  I did not however, learn to appreciate Falafels.  There’s no hope there.    At 27 I found another great challenge and adventure.  I dedicated myself to an eleven week training and diet program so that I could compete in an NPC Bikini Competition.  This taught me so much.  I learned that I love challenge.  So here we are again, another year later, and my quarter life crisis continues.  This time, I’ll tackle it with another ridiculous challenge.  So here it is… if I type it, blog it, and publish it, there’s no turning back….. So I’m putting this out there for the world to read.

On October 11, 2011 I celebrated my 28^th birthday.  I decided to set a new goal for myself.  I will be running 30 marathons before I turn 30 years old.  It’d be great if I already had one or two under my belt so that it wouldn’t seem so overwhelming…. Buuuuut I don’t! I have only run two half marathons, and that does not add to one.  My first marathon will be next week, November 5 in Savannah, GA.  So now I just need to look at the calendar and pick 29 more J  EASY PEASY!  

I know 30 marathons will be difficult.  It will also be expensive, so if I don’t actually enter an official race for several weeks, then I’ll just go out and run 26.2 around Atlanta or wherever I may be. 

I’ve already heard a few people tell me that there’s no way I can do this.  The body needs weeks to recover from 26.2.  My response: “Thanks for your concern.  But not my body.  I’m going to push myself to the limits.”  I thrive on that fine line of normal and crazy. And right now my right leg is stepping over that line into Craziville. 

So here we go…  I welcome all comments, thoughts, and criticism.  Visitors are also welcome in Crazyville.  I would love for my friends to join me in any of these marathons or training runs.  Please let me know when you’d like to jump on board for my next crazy adventure!

-katie

New Adventures...

I’ve come to realize that just about everyday in my life is an adventure in its own special way.  I may not be jumping out of an airplane, exploring a foreign city, climbing a mountain or even training for a bikini competition, but I’m getting by….. just making it one day at a time.  I'm an independent, homeowner, (somewhat) young, single female working and living in one of the biggest cities in the country.  That's a challenge and adventure in itself.  I am going to chose to make everyday an adventure.  There’s always something new to try, something new to learn or some way to push your comfort zone.  My goal is to find that something each and everyday.   I’m searching for some great things to combine to loves of my life: food, exercise, and adventure.

Here’s the plan for my new blog updates.  I’ve going to try out new trails and running routes around Atlanta and give my critiques and reports of each one.  This will allow me to explore new parts of the city…. While I’m hittin the streets I’ll also be checking out local restaurants and trying the most exciting items on the menus.  If they’re worthy, they’ll get a good review too. Think: Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern meets Man vs. Food meets Atlanta Running Guide.  I'm still searching for a catchy, fun title.... maybe something like Dining, Dashing, and Daring.  Oh yeah, if anyone knows Andrew Zimmern, can you hook a girl up?  I'd love to meet him.

While going through the past eleven weeks of training for the bikini competition I realized that cooking isn’t so scary.  If I start simple, I can actually make some pretty good things without killing myself or any unsuspecting dinner guests.  I began searching for “quick, easy, simple, healthy” recipes.  I put together quite the collection to get things kicked off. 

I’m starting to train for the 13.1 Chicago Half Marathon in June so I decided to do some speed work on a track today so since I really didn’t explore any new neighborhoods on a run I guess I’m left to report the new beef taco recipe that I tried.  I found this recipe in an old Shape Magazine.  Basically this is a make over of the traditional ground beef taco and “lightening” it up with some quality ingredients. 

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 red bell pepper, cut into ½ inch chunks (couldn't find red, so I used orange)

1 green bell pepper, cut into ½ inch chunks 

4 scallions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

¼ cup of bulgur (this was a new one to me…. had to ask the nice man at Kroger where to find this one J)

8 ounces ground sirloin (Laura’s Lean Ground Beef 8% fat)

½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder (couldn’t find this so I used my own combo of Mrs Dash no salt Southwest Chipotle and regular chili powder spices)

½ teaspoon ground cumin ( I used ground cumin seed…. Is there a difference?)

1 15 ounce can of low-sodium crushed tomatoes (I used diced tomatoes)

¼ teaspoon salt

8 6 inch corn tortillas (I used Kroger Wheat Tortillas 96% Fat Free)

4 ounces crumbled feta (lowfat)

2 cups shredded romaine

So now it’s time for the action…. I donned my Piggly Wiggly apron and got down to business.  Yes, that’s right.  The Piggly Wiggly collection doesn’t stop at just t-shirts.  I also have an apron that my aunt and uncle found at a Piggly Wiggly on Hilton Head Island.  I started by chopping the peppers, scallions, and garlic.  Next, I heated the olive oil and added the peppers, white scallions, and garlic.  Cooked this for about 7 minutes until the peppers were crisp and tender.  Next step was adding the bulgur, then the beef, chili powder and cumin.  I cooked this until the beef was no longer pink.  Then I added the tomatoes and salt.  Once that started to boil I brought the mixture down to a simmer and covered for ten minutes. 

Here's the colorful pepper, garlic, onion, and beef combo.  I loved all the beautiful bright colors!

I’m a really messy cook.  Not my mother’s daughter…. She would have died in my kitchen tonight.  So I used this time to tidy up the kitchen.  The dinner was starting to smell fantastic…. I was so excited to taste my new creation!  I heated up two tortillas.  You can do this by holding them over a burner for a few seconds, or heat them up in the microwave/oven…. Whatever you prefer will work just fine. 

This is just half the mess.... somehow I flipped the spatula out of the pan and got this concoction all over the kitchen floor!

After ten minutes of simmering, your tacos are ready!  I scooped half a cup of taco filling in each tortilla and then topped them off with the shredded romaine, crumbled low fat feta, and green scallions. 

So I know this isn’t part of the recipe, but I poured myself a glass of red wine and set the table for a scrumptious dinner! I'm no wine connoisseur so I just picked a red that I got for Christmas and haven't been able to enjoy yet.  Maybe learning more about wine pairings would be a good addition to the food reports.....

Ta-da!!!!  Time to chow down!

Here’s the nutritional breakdown for two tacos (sans wine of course) 

399 calories, 15g of fat (34% of calories) 7g saturated fat, 44g carbs, 22g protein, 9g fiber, 224mg calcium, 4mg iron, and 672 mg of sodium. 

This is according to the Shape recipe and for the originally listed items, not the substitutes that I made…. But I still think it gives a pretty good snapshot of the meal.  This meal was delicious!  I really impressed myself.  I’m looking forward to the leftovers for lunch tomorrow J   At first I didn't think two tacos would be enough.  But, I was pleasantly surprised that this was the perfect serving size.  I felt full but not painfully Thanksgiving full.

Let me know if you try this recipe or if you have any suggestions for new combinations or variations.  I’m sure this would work well with grilled chicken strips too.  Or maybe ground turkey breast. 

Final Thoughts

Please keep your hands and feet inside the car until the ride has come to a complete stop.

I'd like to thank you all for sharing this roller coaster of a journey with me.  It has definitely had its fair share of ups and downs, shining moments and a few dark clouds.  Don't worry folks... there will be another great adventure in my near future and I hope you'll choose to follow along with me on that, not sure when or what it will be, but I hope it will be something fun that I can share with my friends and family just like this.  

Now that the competition is over and my daily life has returned to something that is beginning to resemble "normal", I've had a lot of time to reflect on the past eleven weeks and changes that have occurred in my life.  First thing I've realized is that I have a million blessings for which to be thankful.  I can't begin to list them all but my friends and family definitely top that list.  I never knew how much I was loved.  I'm not bragging or trying to be conceited, but I was completely overwhelmed by the love, support, and encouragement that came from so many people.... ranging from people that I see and talk to every day, once a month, once a year, and even people I haven't heard from in several years.  I was amazed at the number of people who took the time to follow my "adventure" and keep up with me.  Also, I'm so happy that my blog, tweets, and facebook posts have inspired people to take a look at their own lives.  I hope that many people have realized how rewarding it can be to make themselves a priority.  In our lives today, we are all so busy and always on the run with work/school, family, and all kinds of other obligations that we are quick to push aside the basic needs for ourselves.  Taking just a few minutes each day to do something nice for yourself can really change your entire life.  If you take a 20 minute walk in the morning you can plan out your day, clear you head of time management stresses, and decide on priorities and what NEEDS to be done today, compared to what you would like to do that day.  I think it's also important to realize that you don't have to do it all.  You can't do everything for everyone all the time.  Learning to say no is easier said than done, but if you can say no to others and yes to yourself, you'll find that you'll be a lot happier every day.  I'm no professional or anything but that's what I believe.  I've been fortunate to focus on myself during the past eleven weeks of training and I've become so much happier in every aspect of my life.  I've also started believing in the power of positive thinking... I guess a nearly no-carb diet will do that to you.  Why waste your time and energy on something negative that will bring you down? Just try to change your thoughts.  Have a positive outlook and make the conscience decision to be positive.  Don't worry, be happy!  It's your life, your head, your thoughts... take control of it and make it what you want it to be.

Another lesson learned is the power of a dedicated mind.  Seriously, if I can make up my mind to commit to this training and dieting, then anyone can do it!  Sure, it's hard work.  It's a constant battle, but wow.... look at what can happen when you do make a commitment.  I'm excited to see what I dream of next... The possibilities are limitless when you make up your mind to achieve a goal and stay committed to it no matter what challenges get in the way.

So now that this adventure has come to an end... what's next for me?

Pictures

Although most of you have probably seen all these pictures on facebook, I thought I'd post them here for my twitter fans and anyone else who randomly stumbles across this blog.

Here are some pictures from the big competition day.

Waiting backstage.... soooooo cold!!!

My training partner Marcia

Check out that homemade bling!  Jealous?

Me and Faye with the flowers from my girls!  My biggest fans and support group.

Super Hero pose.... just add a cape and I'm ready to save the world

I was a lot happier at the evening portion of the show.... I realized I didn't have to stand around in 5 in heels for several hours.  Barefoot = happy :)

Back view.... my hair is a hot mess, but my back looks good.

Johnny, best trainer and coach ever!  He also won two trophies.

Three amigos.... Midtown Athletic Club's finest.

Another shot of Marcia and me.  We couldn't have done this without each other!

And now the moment we've all been waiting for.... my first bite of mom's homemade brown with grandmommy's icing. H-E-A-V-E-N!!!

Post competition posing fun with Johnny.

I love my shoes!

One last skinny shot before we head to Marietta Diner to pig out!

Competition Day

This is it!  Finally… the day I had been waiting for since I made up my mind to enter this competition last August.  I tried to go to bed early on Friday… I think I actually closed my eyes around 10:00pm.  I woke up again at 11:30pm, 2:00am, and 4:00am.  I finally got up at 4:20am to finish packing, eat breakfast, make up my bed, and put curlers in my hair.  Yasmine was here at 5:00am to start my make up.  Marcia got here just a little later and Yasmine got us both all glammed up like beautiful Hollywood stars.  I felt like a million bucks!  I was so excited to get the day started and see how the competition would play out.  Marcia and I were out the door at 7:00am on the way to the Convention Center.  We had to be there by 7:30am to finalize check in.  We already registered in advance so that wasn’t a problem.  We had to confirm our height and be placed in the correct divisions.  Since I’m under 5’2, I’m in Class A and Marcia is under 5’4 so she’s in Class B. After they completed  all the category assignments we had a contestants’ meeting at 9:00am where the promoter and judges spoke to give us an idea of the day’s events.  This took forever!!!!  I was growing very impatient.  The prejuding was set to start at 10:30am and we only had about 30 minutes to get dressed and make final touches on hair and make-up.  After rushing through the beauty prep in a very crowded public restroom we rush to the backstage holding area.  This was a whole lotta hurry up and wait.  So we got there about 10:45 and didn’t get to the Bikini portion of the show until almost noon or 12:15!  So we’re all freezing cold back stage in our bikinis and our toes were about to go numb because we were standing in high heels for over an hour.  Most of the girls were chatting with friends and being really sociable.  Typically, I would be right in the mix of all this and having a blast getting to know everyone.  Unfortunately my mind was not focused on the competition today.

Right after arriving at the competition I got a terribly scary phone call with some really bad news.  It was Sean calling from Nepal.  Things weren’t going as planned in his trip.  His news had me shaken up and scared.  I was helpless because I couldn’t do anything for him

I’m so thankful that I have chosen to read the Purpose Driven Life for Lent.  This book has taught me so much in a few short days, but I was able to draw on these lessons to know that God is in charge.  When you let go of your wants and desires, and hand them over to God for His will to be done, then all will be ok.  It will be ok in His eyes and according to His plan….. which may be tough for us, but in the end, in eternity, it will bring us ultimate happiness.  It's God plan that really matters, not mine. I had to lift my worries up to God.  I had to give him 100% of my trust to be with Sean and this team in Nepal.  I prayed for God to be with Sean and to calm my nerves.  I tried to clear my head and stay positive for the competition.  It wasn’t working very well. 

A few hours later when I was waiting backstage I notice I had a missed call and new voicemail.  It was not the same number that Sean had called from earlier.  I was too afraid to listen to it.  I was scared it would be bad news and that I would have a terrible crying fit.  Haha, I paid too much money for this make up and I wasn’t about to ruin it over a situation I couldn’t change.  I just let it sit there until my portion of the competition was over.  As soon as I walked off the stage I turned to watch Marcia, once she was finished I rushed to my phone and listened to my message.  It was from Sean.  He was ok!!!  That’s when I lost it.  I sat on the floor and cried because I was so happy he was going to be safe and healthy.  I couldn’t hear the complete message, but I know he’s ok now.  What an amazing relief.  God is good!  I can now breath a little easier. 

I didn’t feel confident in my performance on stage this morning, but I had a new perspective on priorities and important things in my life.  The past few weeks have really changed my life, and a trophy didn’t seem to matter much anymore.

My afternoon rest didn’t seem long enough.  Pretty soon 5:00pm rolls around and it’s time to go back to the Convention Center for the finals.  Marcia picked me up at my house, then we met Johnny at the gym and the three of us headed down together.  At this point the real competition is over.  We were relaxed and feeling great.  No stress, nothing to worry.  We compared all of our candy, treats and post competition indulgences.  In my bag, I packed a peanut better & jelly sandwich, Somoas girl scout cookies, BBQ Pringles, Starburt jelly beans, chocolate turtle Chex mix and tons of chocolate candy that my mom and dad brought me.  Johnny had a bag that looked like he had just robbed a pack of trick-or-treating children…. But at this point I wouldn’t blame him.  We didn’t care where the goodies came from.  We were just happy to have them!

We arrived a little early for the participants’ meeting.  Of course, it was almost a half hour late starting and very unorganized.  I was beginning to hear rumbles from around the room.  Everyone was getting frustrated because nothing seemed to go according to plan or run smoothly today.  Anyway, we finally got started and it became a lot more fun.  I was lucky that they switched up the order of the show because the Bikini division wasn’t last.  We were actually 3^rd or 4^th but it all went so fast it was almost over before I knew it.  Literally.  I was in the crowd taking pictures of Johnny when my group was lining up.  Luckily one girl called me to line and I quickly put my heels on while Johnny sprayed me down with shiny spray stuff J

Here we go…. I was second in line for my group and I felt great.  READY TO ROCK!  I went out and strutted my stuff.  I did my best walk and poses ever!  I actually had fun and enjoyed it.  The music was pumping and it’s hard not to feel like a total badass when you have so many people cheering for you!  The decisions were already made so the group walked off stage and the top three were immediately called back up.  I stayed.  Oh well…. I didn’t expect to do well after my bombed performance this morning.  I waited to see how the top three finished and congratulated those three girls.  I also waited again to see Marcia.  She didn’t place either but we were both proud of ourselves and proud of each other.  I rushed back stage, threw off my shoes and grabbed my PB&J sandwich.  It was heavenly…. And so the feasting began!  After that I ate a few Samoas Girl Scout cookies.  By this time Johnny came and found me back stage to give me the judges critiques.  He told me that my physique was perfect.  I had 100% of the body and “look” that they wanted.  For the finals, I had the perfect walk and poses.  BUT, it was my showing during the prejudging that kept me from taking home a trophy.  If I had been 100% focused and relaxed and had my head in the game this morning, I would have won in the evening. Well damn.  What am I supposed to do with news like that?  Now I’ve always said “Never say never” so I don’t know if I’ll go back again and try my luck at a another competition.  I was sooooo close! I just don’t know… what would you do?  It’s like training for a marathon and finding there’s a boulder blocking mile 26.  There’s nothing you can do about it.  I know I can do the training, the dieting, the final showing, but how bad do I just want to take home a trophy?  I don’t know…. Where would I even put that silly thing?  Maybe it’s just one more piece of junk to collect dust.

I went back to find my parents in the crowd and continued my feasting.  I ate a little bit of everything that I packed along with Johnny’s hijacked trick-or-treating stash.  After the show was complete our group (Johnny, his wife Michelle, Marcia, her husband Matt, our friend Ryan, my parents and I) went to Marietta Diner.  This was the REAL celebration.  Of course my eyes were bigger than my stomach, or maybe even the whole table, but I ordered Motzerella Cheese Stix, a ½ lb bacon cheddar cheeseburger, and then baklava cheesecake….. with a Cherry Coke!  WOW!  This was exactly what I’ve been working so hard toward for such a long time.  Like the prejuding round, I was disappointed in my performance.  I only about a fourth of my burger, but I ponied up and got back in the game when my baklava cheesecake was served.  Marcia and I split this and still couldn’t finish the whole piece.  But I sure enjoyed trying.  It was like heaven in my mouth.  Johnny didn’t need any help in putting away his two cheeseburgers, fries, and chocolate chip cheesecake.  He’s an old pro at this now!

I’m looking forward to a comfortable and restful night’s sleep, no alarm clock, and a peaceful day with my parents and Tini on Sunday.

I'll add more pictures when I get a chance.

Week 11 part 2

Thursday was my last normal day of training…. So close to the finish line I can smell it.  Thursday morning I got up super early so I could do extra cardio in the morning.  I added thirty minutes to my morning cardio so that I could leave thirty minutes earlier in the evening.  I never thought I’d survive the morning cardio….. I was exhausted.  I don’t think I have ever felt that tired in a long time.  I could barely move my body.  Somehow I powered through an hour and forty-five minutes of elliptical and arc trainer.  When I finally got to work I felt like a zombie.  I probably looked like the walking dead also.  Today is St. Patrick’s Day so of course that means every domesticated female in the office felt compelled to bake cupcakes.  Haha, usually I would be in love with this idea, but not today.  I was on the brink of a meltdown and all those yummy treats were about to kill me.  I couldn’t drink green tea today, like I have the past ten weeks, so the only way to survive the day was black coffee.  It was gross but I drank a cup.  Luckily, the caffeine pick me up worked and got me through the day.  As soon as 5:30pm hit I ran out the door, quickly completed my last training session and finished with forty-five minutes of cardio.  Marcia and I rushed over to Glo Tanning to meet Alex for our first spray tan. We were in such a hurry that we didn’t even realize that ALL of our training was finally over!  Haha... we actually may have been just too tired to celebrate.  So we got spray tanned and it looks amazing!  I can’t even tell you how different we look after one good tan.  The best part about it is we’re getting a second coat Friday morning so it’ll be 100% perfect for Saturday.  So I rounded out Thursday with a small dinner of ground turkey breast and spinach.  I was excited to go to bed before 11:00pm and not have to worry about packing a gym back for the morning or setting my alarm for 5:30am.  I just hope I can actually force my body to sleep, or at least rest, and not get up before the sun…. well, we shall see… 

Friday- Well, I guess despite my best efforts I was unable to convince my body to sleep in today.  I did enjoy an extra fifteen minutes of sleep, but at 5:45am I was wide-awake ready to start my day.  I laid in bed until about 6:30am just listening to music and cruising the internet…. Nothing exciting to share.  I finally got up, showered, watched TV and ate breakfast while planning out the rest of my day.  I was so excited to have oatmeal with my eggs for breakfast today.  My first taste of carbs in two weeks…. Yum!  Just half a cup of oatmeal felt like a Thanksgiving feast.  I can’t even imagine what Saturday night is going to taste like!!!  After breakfast I got dressed and went back to Glo to see Alex for my second coat of tan.  Seriously, this girl is fantastic!  She does tanning for all purposes, not just competitions, so if you want to avoid sun spots and aging, I highly recommend going to see her for a spray tan before your next big event.  I know I sure will!  She’s so sweet and will make you look even more beautiful than you already are. http://www.glowatl.com
After my tan I came home and ate lunch… more carbs! J YAY!  I had six ounces of ground turkey breast with a ¼ cup of white rice.  This was the first time I had ever cooked rice <queue gasp…. I know, I just don’t like it that much>  so needless to say I really effed it up!  It was burnt and stuck to the bottom of the pan that’s for sure!  Oh well, I only had ¼ cup so I was determined to eat it all.  After lunch the true excitement of the day began!  I went to Kroger to buy some “normal” food and first eat treats!  I know I’ll probably get sick, but everything in the store looked delicious.  I think I’ll try to restrict my portions but still get a taste of it all.  I bought BBQ Pringles, Starburst jellybeans, Pretzel M&Ms (of course), and a Butterfinger.  I think I’ll probably make a PB&J sandwich too.  My mom and dad are coming in the morning and they’re bringing another bag of goodies.  After all that I also got a few things for Sunday brunch.  Oh yeah, and funfetti cupcakes because, well, why not! Just because I can!!!  Just for the fun of it, I looked to see if they still had Girl Scout Cookie ice cream and they didn’t so I’m sooooo glad I bought those three weeks ago!  I’d be kicking myself if I hadn’t.

After my shopping excursion I came home for my afternoon snack and rest, or attempt to rest.  I really thought today would be calm and uneventful but I don’t think I sat still longer than fifteen minutes to eat.  I really want to say thank you to all my friends who called, texted, or emailed me to wish me luck on the competition.  It really means the world to me to have so much encouragement and support.  I couldn't have made it this far without all of you and I hope to make you proud tomorrow.  All day my mind was racing a mile a minute.  I had to cook and prepare all the food that I may need to eat tomorrow…. More rice, I think I did better this time, cut a grapefruit, ground turkey breast, and sweet potato.  Now, it was time for my dinner.  I had to eat before 7:00pm because I’m restricting water after then. 

I made two lists (I love lists.... if I had a printer, I'd probably made an excel spreadsheet) of the things I would need for tomorrow… one list just for the beauty maintenance side of the competition and one list for the foods I need.  I have everything laid out and ready to go!  Now, it’s about 8:30pm and I’m going to attempt to force myself to go to bed.  The alarm is set for 4:30am to start the BIG DAY!  Wow… still can’t believe it’s so close.

I’ll post a final update and recap Sunday but until then, I’ll tweet updates tomorrow.  Follow me @katie1602.

Week 11 Part 1

Wow!  I can’t believe it…. This week has finally come.  I’m absolutely bursting with excitement.  I can’t wait to have my one shining moment on stage and proudly show off all that I have accomplished with hard work in the gym, disciplined dieting, and an immeasurable amount of willpower and dedication. 

Sunday was another great day like Saturday.  I woke up really early and decided to tackle this day head on.  I went to the gym at 8:00am, came home, quickly showered, and made it to Mass at 10:30am, then went tanning, and returned home for lunch before 1:00pm.  After lunch I began cleaning my house and preparing for my VIPs (Very Important Parents & Puppy) who would be visiting next weekend.  I’ve never been so excited to change sheets or scrub a bathroom.  Yes, sure I was excited about the competition, but words cannot describe the excitement I had to spend quality, relaxing time with my parents.  I miss being able to see friends and family.  We have a really close family so it’s pretty rare that a month goes by without some reason to gather together.  I guess it’s only been five weeks since I had dinner with mom and dad in Chattanooga but it seems like ages ago. 

After cleaning it was time to get to the gym again.  After our normal workout Marcia and I talked to Johnny about what to expect throughout the final week.  It was going to be standard operating procedures Sunday-Wednesday.  Only two small changes there…. No more grapefruit and no more almond snack in the afternoons.  No biggie, I can live with that… I hope!  Also, on Wednesday morning we were going to start taking a diuretic pill to help draw all the water out of our bodies.  I’ve never taken any of these before so I’m interested to see how it’s going to affect me.  Thursday was going to be limited to egg-whites for breakfast, ground turkey breast and one serving of a vegetable for both lunch and dinner.  The best news about Thursday was the fact that we could stop taking the protein drinks after our morning workout!  YES!  I’ll never miss those things.  Friday should be a great day because we’re adding carbs back into the diet.  So along with what we’ll have Thursday we’ll also be able to add a serving of oatmeal, white rice, and sweet potatoes. I can’t wait!!!!  It’ll be delicious I know!  And that takes us right into the big day…. Saturday, it’s show time!  The plan is to have a serving of rice first thing in the morning, then go check in and get ready for pre-judging.  We’ll probably have half a grapefruit in between check-in and pre-judging.  After pre-judging we’ll probably have time to come home, eat lunch, and rest for a few hours.  Then, around 4:30pm or 5:00pm we’ll go back to the convention center and get ready for the finals which start at 7:30pm.  We have no idea how long the finals will last, so we’re expecting to be there until at least 11:30pm or midnight.

Monday was great!  I felt fantastic… I was pumped up and ready to go.  I was still thriving off the excitement of the final week.  I don’t think I’ve felt this energetic and confident in weeks.  I think it was the fact that I was having a good hair day.  I was loving my new cut J I made it though our last leg workout and evening cardio just fine… my new positive attitude made all the difference in the world.

Then, Tuesday came along.  Tuesday might as well have been January 4^th.  I felt like the competition would never get here.  Four days seemed like eternity.  I think the cold, rainy, dreary weather had a lot to do with my outlook.  I tried not to dwell on it and just keep thinking positive thoughts. I’m getting so excited about everything from Saturday night on through reuniting with friends and food next week that I can’t seem to focus on getting through an hour of work.  I trudged through the day and then evening workouts as best as I could.  I had to… there was no other option.

Wednesday was a little bit better but also seemed to move slowly.  Wednesday was a scrambled day for me at work.  I had a conference call at 9:00am, another at 10:00am, mentor reading at 10:50am, then back to the office to eat lunch at my desk, then left for an eye exam at 1:45pm so I could barely get on track with a single project.  When I returned from the eye doctor my eyes were dilated so I couldn’t see anything close up… I was fine with distances but I couldn’t read my computer screen, files, or even my daily task list in my Franklin-Covey… that I adore!  Couldn’t live without that thing!  So after searching for something to do, I finally asked my boss if I could leave early and make up the hours next week. 

I was able to get my workout completed really early, which was a great treat.  I came home and started preparing my ground turkey breast for the next few days.  I cooked two pounds and then weighed individual servings then froze what I won’t need right away.  I didn’t quite have enough so I know I’ll need to get some more before Saturday. 

I think this last week has been just as difficult as the first.  It’s so weird because I expected this week to be fantastic.  I think I’m just drained.  Physically and emotionally drained at this point.  I told someone at work today that every M&M I see looks like a million dollars because I want to it so badly.  Being so close makes the end actually feel farther away.  I don’t know why that is, but it seems this week is moving at a snail’s pace. 

Now I’m ready to finish the rest of the week strong and come home with some shiny new hardware.  Wonder where I can put my new trophy?  Maybe in my office next to my Twinkies eating champion trophy?  Not many people can down 14 Twinkies in two minutes and then win a bikini competition…. At least I don’t think there’s been a precedent for that.

More updates to come to share how Thursday and Friday play out.   I’ll be tweeting each step of the way on Saturday.  Follow me on Twitter @katie1602.  I couldn’t have made it this far without my supportive friends and family so thank you for that…. But don’t bail on me now folks… I need it now more than ever.  Three days till it all comes to fruition…..  Is it too soon to countdown the hours? haha