Back-to-Back Post Saturday

Well I hope you all enjoyed my recap of the Filthy 5K, which I definitely left filthy! I'm posting another blog today because I got a really sweet comment from Kyra of The Get in Shape Girl. Her post was in response to my post a few days ago, and here's what she said:

Hey girlfriend!! Congrats on finishing school. What a huge accomplishment! So aside from the competitions, what's else is going on? Remember to set other goals aside from just competition ones. I've been reading a lot on post-competition emotions. You def need to have a lot of other goals set for yourself because it's easy to become addicted to constantly seeing the results from dieting down and hard training. I just want you to come off of this super-healthy! 

Instead of just replying to her comment (because, let's be honest--we all forget to look at those sometimes), I thought I would make this into a blog. She brings up a lot of good points. I do need goals besides just the competitions, and (since I'm sure we read a lot of the same blogs) I've seen some post-competition blogs too where the competitor feels empty/unsure of what to do next. I do have 10 weeks to go until my first competition (I recounted today!), but I do think it's good to figure out my goals early.

Kyra is right--it is easy to become addicted to constantly seeing results, and I'm one of those people. I strive to do whatever I can to be the best, and when things start going the other way, I freak out and the result is a downs spiral! And then it takes forever for me to get back to where I was, and even then I don't feel the same. It's happened to me before, when I stopped running track my senior year of high school, and I am nervous because these competitions are going to bring me below the weight I was then, and I definitely don't want to gain weight like crazy.

So that being said, here are my (tentative) goals for both now and after the competitions:

• Compete again--I know there's always the possibility I could change my mind about this, but so far, I'm enjoying my journey to the stage, and I love having things to work for. If I decide I want to continue to do shows, it gives me a reason to maintain a healthy lifestyle and not gain weight like a hippo. I enjoy the lifting I've been doing--it gives me both a physical and mental push--and it is definitely not something I'm ready to give up in a 10-12 weeks.
• Compete in more 5Ks--I've always been a runner, except for the brief period that I had no motivation to get out there and do it. I like running outdoors more so than on the treadmill (during the winter is another story). I know I will never be at the level I was in high school, because training for races alone is a lot different than running with a team and having certain drills, etc., but I do want to be more competitive with running. That's not to say I'm going to become some ridiculously addicted/competitive person, because after the Filthy 5K yesterday, I do want to enjoy some more fun runs, of which there are a lot in Virginia.
• Take some nutrition courses--Time allowing. Being in prep has raised a lot of questions that I've never really had before. Why am I eating over a pound of chicken a day and still losing weight? How exactly does carb cycling work? I've heard all the positive results of prep, but are there any negative or lasting implications of this nutrition phase? And my questions are not just restricted to nutrition during prep, but prep is what has inspired my desire to know more about nutrition in general.
• Become a certified personal trainer--Working out with Kevin and Bob, another of Kevin's clients, has sort of inspired this. At first, I realized I just really enjoy lifting, and I'm not half bad at it. Then I started getting feisty, if you will. First I would ask Kevin to tack on more weight because a set was to light. Then when all three of us were working out together, I'd find myself giving them a hard time pushing them to do a few more reps or a few more pounds. At one point, Bob said, "Geez, I don't think I could ever have you as my personal trainer--you'd kick my ass!" I think he was half-joking and I was pretty hyper at the time for being 5am on a weekday, but for the sake of my argument, I think I want to do this, or at least work in a fitness-oriented environment.
• Create a nutrition & training plan for post-comp--I'll definitely discuss this with Kevin when it gets closer to the show, but in agreement with Kyra, I think it is good to have some sort of plan. Once I've gone through the experience of the competition, I'll know more about what I would like for this plan to include, but for now, it's really up in the air

Laying all this out makes me feel a lot better. At first glance at Kyra's comment, I got a little panicked and all I could think was "I haven't thought about that! I haven't even competed yet!!" But she's right. It's better to at least have an idea of what I want to accomplish after my competitions than to have no idea at all. And once again, I'm sure these goals/plans are bound to change, but when they do, I'll adapt them--nothing has to be set in stone.

Thanks again, Kyra, for bringing up this good point! I do have to admit that a few of my first thoughts were "I'll get to actually eat in August! And drink!" but I don't want to go overboard with the freedom, and you've definitely helped me put this into a lifestyle perspective!