Decisions During Chemistry Class

I couldn't pay attention at all. I propped my bag on the desk so the professor couldn't see me sitting there on my phone.  I had far more important things to do. I thought the thermodynamics lecture was the perfect time to look up the NGA show calendar and find a date range that is going to be appropriate for me. I narrowed it down to TWO shows.  I will let you know which of the two I decide to compete in as soon as possible. I am JUMPING OUT OF MY BONES with excitement. 

I've also decided that I am going to hire a prep coach this season.  While I am BEYOND PROUD of myself for all of the research and hardwork that I did completely on my own, I am in the "business" of improving who I was last year on stage.  A coach is going to allow me to focus my energy into a whole system, whereas when I prepped alone, I had to dedicate time to researching and testing several different faucets of my training. I have someone in mind. I will announce that information when I finalize the contract, etc. 

THIS IS SO MAJOR FOR ME. 

I'm going to try to look into what I can do about wearing a KNOCKOUT suit. I really want to represent my *Mum* and her fight with cancer.  I've got a couple of design ideas in my head, and all of them involve a bright pink suit.  I hope to find someone that can help me create my vision.  

ONE LAST "DECISION" MADE TONIGHT:  I put the word decision in parentheses because I'm being decisive in an indecisive manner.  In several posts, I've talked about whether or not I wanted to compete in the same classification. I am going to let my coach decide for me. If my coach decides that physique/bodybuilding is where I need to be, then I'll be making further decisions on hiring a choreographer.  In the physique and female bodybuilding class, competitors have to put together a ~60 second posing routine to music.  

That ABSOLUTELY scares me.  But, I thought I might be able to find a student willing to help and add to their portfolio.  I don't know. It's just a thought. 

Wish me luck in trying to get some sleep tonight! 

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Clumsy Mumsy

***UPDATE ON TRAINING BELOW***

But, first!  Tonight's lab was awful. So awful that I had to include it in my blog. We had a Gas Law lab where we measured partial pressures of H2(g) and titration. 

Our stopcock (YES, that is a real word) fell into our concentrated solution. The instructor was able to jerry rig our burette to fix it and not contaminate our results. As we were titrating the solution again, it completely fell apart and NaOH went everywhere all over my hands, book, lab notebook, etc. The professor was kind of mad at us, but what happened is he didn't put the tip back on properly. He didn't even want us to redo the experiment, so he told us just to copy someone else's work. I don't know how many times something has gone wrong with our experiments. Our "Possible Sources of Error" description in our reports is always long and should probably be called "Definite Sources of Error" with my name listed first. *sigh*

WHAT WAS I THINKING?: I miscalculated my prep time by almost a month!  By starting too early, you risk losing all of your gains that you've made leading up to the show.  Everyone has a unique "formula" for how your body reacts to prep. While there are general norms most bodybuilders follow, it is important to find a game plan that will maximize your vascularity, without compromising mass. You've got to understand how your body can be manipulated by your macros and water intake to produce dense muscles with a vascular overtone. 

MY NEXT THOUGHT:  I'm almost wondering if I want to do a different show than Mr. and Mrs. Steel Valley Classic. It would give me an excuse to travel to somewhere new. I really need to have a show date in mind before I start prepping. It's too hard to know when to cycle carbs, increase cardio, protein intake, etc. So, I really need to figure this out first and foremost. 

AFTERTHOUGHTS:  I think it might be best to look for a show later in the year than August to accommodate a prep that would start when I finish this semester. My time is completely limited when I'm in school and I start softball this Sunday. 

IN SUMMARY, I need to find more time to setup my gameplan and get all the right pieces in place. I want to be in the best position possible to train and impress myself with the work I put in. I need to remove the distractions that I can and push through the ones that I can't. 

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Bourbon Will Put Hair On That Chest...

I WANTED TO share some of my pictures from the RunTheBluegrass Half Marathon in Lexington, Kentucky this weekend.  I beat last year's time by 3 minutes which is highly impressive considering last year was 60s and sunny.  This year, it rained the entire time, and there was SIDEWAYS RAIN from Mile 7 on.  SIDEWAYS!  What.the.fuck.

OF COURSE, I got my beer AND bourbon after the race at the Buffalo Trace Distillery.  Carlee and I went around to a couple different breweries and hung out.  Our favorite was Country Boy Brewing.  We drank beer and played cards.  They had a beer called "Cougar Bait" and it was really good!  If we would have been older, we could attest to it working.  We got hit on awkwardly by the same guy three different times.  When he was leaving with his friends, he came up another time and wished us luck with our "prison card game."  Exit Stage Right.  Cue the studio audience. 

 

 

IN SUMMARY, I had a great time and I already signed up for next year's race in 2015!  Speaking of races, I actually have a 10K Trail Run tomorrow morning at Allerton.  A friend of mine wasn't able to run, so she asked if I'd be interested in running in her place.  I ran this race last year and it was pretty fun.  the only thing I didn't like about the course was that it was really hard to see the course paths.  I remember passing a lady who was in the half marathon event and accidentally ran a good portion of the 10K course.  I felt so bad for her!

 

WELP, it's Friday night.  I am getting organized for the start of prep on Monday.  I CANNOT wait for the first few weeks.  That shock to your system causes me to lean out so hard.  The only part of the process that I am less excited about is carrying around my water jug.  YES, I feed into that stereotype.  The thing is, it's the best way to track your water with the smallest amount of effort.  I did see a female bodybuilder advertising this "fanny pack" kind of holster for your water jug.  It made it look less...douchebag-esque. 

 

UNPACKING my scale is important.  I also am thinking about buying a second one.  I would like to have a back-up scale available--especially packed in my 6Pack Bag that I got for Christmas.  I am going to change a couple of things in my routine for this prep.  I am absolutely 86-ing bread in my diet for the next 5 months.  I held on to "bread" last year for too far into my prep.  I really don't have anything against bread (Of course not; I'm a runner!), but I want to lean out as much as possible.  I feel like last year, I could have been leaner.  I could have had that peek-a-boo rib cage shot if I cut out bread.  I also want to increase my water intake by half a gallon. 

CURRENTLY, I am still debating on competing in Figure or Bodybuilding.  I guess it depends how lean I get in the beginning.  I am not sure I want to compete at the same show.  I think it would be exciting to compete in a different state.  Well, I'm going to finish my grocery list planning and my training schedule.  It's going to be rough while I am still taking a class this semester, but I think it is doable.  I just need to put my head down and stay focused. 

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Civil War Day

Apparently, today is Civil War Day--meaning the Kentucky v Louisville game. :)  I'm running a half marathon tomorrow. My friend Carlee sprained her ankle last weekend, so I'll just be running it myself. I'm not too excited about the weather though. It looks like it's going to be cold and rainy. I might need to drink some bourbon before I run.

I moved out of my ex-boyfriend's house yesterday. Hauling all of that furniture was not a good idea when I have 13.1 miles to run tomorrow!  I also fell down the stairs when I was carrying a TV. I don't know how, but I managed to not break the TV...even though it fell on me and then tumbled down the stairs lol. 

I have a gnarly bruise on my thigh, so I'm hoping it won't give me too much trouble tomorrow!  

I ate this delicious pimento cheese and ham sandwich with slaw today when we arrived in Kentucky:

It's from Wallace Station which was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. We sat outside and enjoyed the 70 degree weather. We are back at the hotel now, being lame and studying...lol Well, I'm blogging because I'm too tired to look at my chemistry notes. 

Getting ready to watch this Civil War go down. I've got Louisville winning it all in all of my brackets, so I am rooting for them, but I'm also a fan of UK. Let the battle begin! :)

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What I Need Most:

Through these past few months, I've come to realize that the hardest thing about this situation is that I'm still in the process of moving on, whereas he has moved on.  I don't want him back. That's one thing I do know.  I just don't understand how someone can wipe their hands and call it a day.  I guess it helps when you are seeing someone else already.  

So, I started wondering how I could crawl out of this empty-heart kind of feeling. When I thought to myself about what consumes all of me, the answer was bodybuilding.  In all actuality, bodybuilding had a lot to do with the demise of my relationship. Instead of working on "us", I was more interested in working on "me".  Was I selfish?  I'm not sure how to answer that, but what I do realize is that I found valid happiness during that time. I found a direction to follow that provided a purpose in my life that aligns who I am with what I am passionate about.  

Recently, I admitted to a friend that I started feeling lonely and that it scared me to call "it" that.  I don't have a problem being alone; it's living in a state of loneliness that scares me.  The gym is the place where I face myself. The iron is always there to witness all of these self discoveries from the mirror's reflection.  My successes and failures are always there for me to pick up on.  The gym provides me with an opportunity to self evaluate who I am from the inside out.  

In simple words, it's where I need to be at this point in my life. It's what feels like home. It's what makes me feel whole. 

It's time to get serious about competing again. :)  

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Mustering Up The Perfect Words To Say...

Well, my blogging has slowed to almost nonexistent due to my 7 year relationship ending recently. Ummm...I'm not really sure what to say other than the fact that I know I'll be alright. You know, when things come to an end--whether it is a job, friendship, or relationship--we think there's going to be this black hole that will exist in it's place or sometime in place of ourselves. But, people move on, and we eventually move on. 

Maybe this is unique to me, but I am the type of person that needs to have alone time. I have to push others away when I'm going through something painful like this because it's what works for me. It's hard when friends don't understand that and think what I need is to be in constant contact with people. I do my best thinking when I'm alone. So, that's where I'll be for awhile. Alone at home, alone at the gym, alone anywhere I feel like being alone. 

Bare with me, guys. I'll be back to me soon. :)

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If you IF...

Yes, I can understand your confusion. 

"But Stevie, you said 6 meals a day is the way to do it..."

I fully believe in the 6 meals a day model. But, I realize that making the time for your meals can be complicated. If you're not married, no kids, have a flexible job schedule, etc, then 6 meals is easy!  That was me. No obligations to hold me back from eating when I need to. HOWEVER, this is not a normal life for people. As I've been going back to school, I've realized that eating every 3 hours is becoming a challenge. 

I've decided to look into Intermittent Fasting (IF). I was introduced to the concept by Sara Solomon. She's one of the major supporters of IF in the bodybuilding community. 

Needless to say, her body is flawless. She actually really funny and silly. She has a down-to-earth quality about her that I really like. 

So, IF can vary in how you approach it. Some people do 24 hour fasts/cleanses, and others follow a block schedule of some sort. Sara follows a 16/8 schedule, where she fasts for 16 hours and has an 8 hour eating window. It's helpful to use a portion of those hours sleeping. 

One of the positives is that you can create your window of feasting to be anytime that's convenient for you. One of the major drawbacks from 6 meals a day was that my eating schedule didn't always jive with everyone else. I spent a lot of days sitting there with no food while everyone else is eating. It was awkward, but you get used to it and people stop asking you questions about it after awhile. 

With IF, you can set it up so that your eating times are near "normal". So, I started Monday and did the 16/8 model. I stopped eating Sunday night at 9 PM and didn't eat my first meal until 1ish. So, I can eat between 1 PM and 9 PM, which covers the most social meals for most people--lunch and dinner. 

Your first meal should be after exercise, and it should be a fairly large meal. You still have to hit all your macros though, but feasting days are a little more forgiving. So, I'll post my schedule after I'm done with my first week. 

I'm currently on my 24 hour fast that I built into my schedule. Water is allowed, but nothing else. It wasn't hard while I was at work. I can usually dive into something and ignore hunger pains. But, I will say coming home is much harder. I know I'll survive, but I feel like if I caved, this is what I would look like:

EASILY. :)

There's a lot of science behind IF. I'll post some articles at another time. 

Oh, and a lady from my worker gave me a sample of some protein powder that she bought. It was really good, actually. 

It's flavor is Orange Creamsicle. She got a tip to mix it with orange juice and I loved it!  And yes, chopsticks are really good stirrers when your blender balls are dirty. 

Well, let's hope that I don't get too many urges with this fast! :)

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