How do I even begin to catch up and document all the awesomeness that went down this week? I guess I will start by saying that this truly was my dream. I found out about Plantbuilt the same time that I began bodybuilding, which was the same time that I decided I would fully commit to veganism after 13 years of vegetarianism that transitioned closer and closer to making the entire switch. My entire journey has been to fueled by the desire to not only have Plantbuilt vote me on as a 2014 member but to make sure that I represented as best I could if I was chosen. I am still pinching myself that I will be boarding the plane today with TWO 1st place trophies in my carry on. Every single category had solid competition in it, and I had two beautiful bodies with different strong points up against me in both my categories, open fit body and novice women’s heavyweight (118 lbs and over) bodybuilding. The competition itself had a theme of redemption for many of my teammates. One of our Crossfit women came in 2nd out of 18 women, and ALL of our powerlifters took home medals. Some even set state records and national records in their weight classes! Many of the bodybuilders had never placed high until Saturday night. Our co-founder always placed last (but keeps doing it because he loves it, like me!) but took home 4th out of seven or eight. My ex always took home 2nd but pulled out a first. One of our novice figure competitors didn’t place well in her first show but was able to take first in novice short and then take the overall. My coach, who is incredibly humble and is ONLY competing for veganism and not for her ego, pulled out a 1st that brought herself and ALL of us to tears. It was an insanely beautiful moment and one that we knew she didn’t think she would get. But her figure has the perfect shape, she presented it gracefully, and she looked beautiful. Our Canadian bikini competitor who was wanting to take a break from competing was able to land a pro card, the perfect ending to the season. I decided to change my category from a guaranteed 1st in novice fit body to a chance to be compared against two other physiques, possibly one that had done this category before, and a teammate who was doing it for the first time along with me. I realized that everyone was focusing on my overall conditioning and the fluidity of my posing/stage presence instead of my straight torso. I still don’t have the hourglass shape, but my waist was measured at 27.25” at the last check in (down from at least 31” at my biggest) and I could tell my suit fit differently. I also got some great tips from teammates about how to flare my lats even more and widen my back in my biceps poses, and I was able to practice the front pose enough to feel like I was disguising my torso as best I could. I’m excited to keep building my delt caps, widening my back and adding shape to my hips and glutes. It will continue to be a journey. I really like the posing in the Fit Body (the INBF’s version of physique), but I look forward to being able to do this category barefoot in other federations. I like that I can use some of my strong points to my advantage in a way I couldn’t in the figure class, and I feel strong and feminine. I thought I might not do bodybuilding again after this show, but I’m thinking I might go ahead and get back into it next year. With a leaner package I will also be working when I get home to get this nagging pinch in my back fixed because I plan on stepping on stage August 23 for my birthday in Troy, AL. My night routine for bodybuilding had some of the elements of Dana Linn Bailey’s routine from Dallas Europa 2013, and I was excited to do it along with my DLB-clone hairstyle. The big moment was about ¾ of the way in when I slid down into an open-handed front double bi pose and pointed to my teammates when the lyrics said, “How we took the night” (“Turn it up” by Timeflies) and they erupted in applause. I was supposed to come down on my hand and knee and lean over into a side bend, but I stood up and then had to ad lib the last bit. No one but my coach knew, of course, and I’m glad I didn’t freeze, but that was my favorite part of the routine. I got my message out, and that’s what was important. I have feasted on vegan bacon cheeseburgers, vegan BBQ, cupcakes, ice cream, and all sorts of treats and things I wouldn’t. I also drank more water in less time than I wanted because we were in the hot Beyond Fit gym the day after the show. I have done some fasted cardio both Sunday morning and this morning, but that was it exercise wise. I didn’t force myself and it wasn’t a struggle – I was starting to forget what was happening in my book and wanted to catch up. The craziest part of this whole thing is that I was so focused on how I’d be meeting SO many of my vegan fitness idols that I never once stopped to consider anyone being excited to meet me. I was starstuck over people such as Giacomo and Dani, Torre, Jehina, Mindy, Melissa, Tiffany, Bonebreaker, Samantha and many others, and I left with so many encouraging words, compliments and promises that they are excited for and will continue to watch my journey. Knowing that Torre wants to come to my show on the 23rd and seeing the pics I took next to IFBB pro Jehina are more than enough for me to start kicking ass again starting tomorrow morning. I’m not leaving this place with an ego. It could have been any of us walking home with 1st place, and I fought hard enough and long enough for it to be me. I have so many plans for myself in the off season that go far beyond the workouts and meal plans. I have mental and emotional goals, and I also want to dabble more in powerlifting, yoga, trail running and adventure racing. And don’t get me started on how excited I am about getting into the kitchen on weekends to make beautiful food! For now I feel like I’m leaving summer camp and some of my best buddies behind. Being around so many people who share my passions was THE COOLEST THING, and look forward to vegfests and future meetups!
Posted on: Tue, 29 Jul 2014 00:12:09 +0000
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