It’s finally here! The day that I’ve been training for and looking forward to for the last few months! Show day of the 2018 Ronnie Coleman Classic! I was so excited/nervous last night that I’m surprised I even slept, but when my alarm went off at 5:30 am for my super early makeup appointment, I jumped out of bed.

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I quickly ate my breakfast, drank my 4 oz of coffee I was allowed, and touched up my hair. I walked across the street to the convention center but the tanning and makeup people were running late and by the time they got all set up, I didn’t start getting my makeup applied until 6:45. I was feeling a little anxious about time because they said competitors needed to be there by 7:30. Turns out, there was no additional check-in and now I just had to wait… for a long time until my division went on pre-judging. I chatted with some of the other bikini girls, ate a few rice cakes, and just hung out until about 10:00 when my coach told me to change into my bikini and start practicing. Then at 10:30, I started to pump up and he told me to eat a candy bar. I couldn’t wait for this moment! I opened up my Snickers bar and ate each bite very slowly, savoring the chocolatey deliciousness that I hadn’t tasted in months. 

 

Then I got oiled up and continued to pump up before heading on stage. Several girls didn’t have their coaches there with them, either because they traveled so far from home and where they trained or because they did online training.

I’m SO glad my coach was there to support me, tell me what and when to eat, walk me through the sequence of events and when I should be doing things, and for the little pep talk before I went on stage. He reminded me that I’ve already done the work, and now it’s the fun part. He reminded me that I am a strong, smart, beautiful woman and mom and that whatever happens on stage with the judging does not justify my worth. He told me that he’s proud of me for balancing all the demands of life as a full-time working and breastfeeding mom with my training during prep, and that my physique ended up being better than he thought.

That did SO much to ease my anxiety and remind me why I was doing this in the first place: for myself! I set this goal to challenge myself and give me purpose with workouts, and that’s exactly what it did. So when I finally went on stage for pre-judging, I forgot all about being nervous and just had fun. I went through my posing routine and hit every pose just as I’d practiced and then waited on the sidelines for the comparisons.

I actually thought pre-judging was just the 10-second routine with the callout and comparing done in the evening. But turns out it was in the morning pre-judging. I was having fun, but I was a little disappointed I didn’t make first callouts.

After prejudging, my coach told me to go eat another burger and fries (without bacon this time… oops!) then go back to the hotel to relax and take a nap.

For the night show, I returned at 7:45 and waited until 9:00 to pump up, eat ANOTHER candy bar (Nutragous!), and get in line to get greased up again. I went on stage for my routine at 9:30 and it was perfect timing for my friends who came to support me after the Fort Worth Food and Wine Festival. I was surprised that all I did was my 10-second routine, walked off the stage, and then a few minutes later they announced the top 5. Because I didn’t make first callouts in pre-judging, I knew I wouldn’t place, so I got back in line for the novice category. But they decided to not have us all walk on stage again and instead just called out the top 3. Then we all went back to pick up our bags and many girls started digging into their treats. Honestly, all I really wanted after eating 2 burgers and fries and 2 candy bars was a glass of wine! I walked out to the audience to find my husband and friends, then they headed over to the wine bar while I went back to the hotel room to change and pump before meeting them there.

While pumping, I pulled out the Compost Cookie I bought the day before. I took one bite, but wasn’t impressed. I thought maybe warming it up would help, but it didn’t. So I took a few nibbles of the other candy I had on hand, but I had already had 2 other candy bars that day so they didn’t taste as amazing as I thought they would so I threw them away before I ate the entire thing just because it was there and I was “allowed” to eat it. When I finally finished and met my friends at the wine bar, they already had a glass of Jordan cabernet ready and waiting for me. That first sip of wine was GLORIOUS!

 

Show Day Meal Plan

Here’s what a typical day of eating looks like for me (please keep in mind that this meal plan customized for MY specific dietary needs for my height, weight, workout intensity, AND my caloric needs for breastfeeding). This may not be appropriate for you.

Breakfast 5:30 am

4 oz. black coffee

5 egg whites + ½ avocado

½ cup oatmeal with cinnamon

Snack

2 plain rice cakes with the thinnest smear of peanut butter and strawberry preserves

Pre-Judging Pump Up

Snickers candy bar

Lunch

The most delicious bacon, avocado,and pepper jack cheeseburger!!

Sweet potato fries!!

Diet coke

Dinner

Nibbled on chicken and rice cakes

(I was barely hungry after that burger!)

Finals Pump Up Snack

Nutrageous candy bar

Celebration Food!

WINE!!

Few pieces of candy

 

Journey to the Stage: Bikini Competition Series

If you missed any of my Journey to the Stage bikini competition prep posts, you can get all caught up here:

New Fitness Goal: Bikini Competition!

Bikini Competition Pre-Prep

12 Weeks Out

10 Weeks Out

8 Weeks Out

7 Weeks Out

6 Weeks Out

5 Weeks Out

4 Weeks Out

3 Weeks Out

2 Weeks Out

1 Week Out

Peak Week

Show Day!

Post-Show Update