Nationals 'the experience'

These are from the BCs, a back shot which makes me so proud of my booty end.....great ham glute ties which I worked hard for without heavy lifting and a front shot taken just before my lat flare, but love the quads here.

*Once I get some shots back from Nationals I can post some.

Nationals ’the Experience’

Coming from a bloaty week for BCs and not being lean or muscular enough I was hoping for the week before Nationals to be better. I did look better and managed to keep a flow on for the week between work, prep and stuff.

Coco Challenges the Day

So my staffy gets to a plastic thing and chews / swallows pieces of it with me of course catching this after he swallowed. Based on a few pieces I found I was worried about blockage so here I am the day before my flight with lots of prep to do and this…….so a few hours later and lost….the vet makes him puke and I can go off restful of mind. He did this at 5mths old and needed an operation so of course we are normally very careful but me being pre contest, if you know anything about that you get something similar to what they call ‘mommy brain’.

Euphoric Landing

Now I land in SK and it was a nauseating landing. I hop a cab with a few other competitors and looked at them saying ‘I feel stoned’. And I had not smoked or drank or taken anything to cause this, it was like 6am for geez sakes and I just waved it off.

My voice began to disappear and get froggy as I was being taxied to the hotel. Again not to think much of it, I can breathe so whatever. Usually if I can breathe I don’t worry too much about things, breathing issues is a sign I am in trouble and since it was fine I just figured I was tired, its early, just off a plane etc etc.

The caliber of competitors was awe inspiring. Got heighted into short and ready to rock for next meeting where I get my number and give my music. I finished all that and had plenty of time to go back and color up for tomorrow.

I get to the judging portion; get to the curtain and nausea hits. Now you gotta remember I don’t get nervous, I love getting on stage and I have been at this for over 15 years now. So I figure, ignore it, its judging time so smile, its over in minutes.

We go out one at a time; I am first, number 1. I go out, do my turns, get in line and the rest of the girls do the same, all to file into the lines on each side of the center comparisons line. As the girls finish lining up everything goes black. I stood there thinking, okay wait it out, it will pass. I began to wobble. One girl, Debi Bartlett who got 4^th in my division when all was said and done…….she tells me she was holding my hand and asked if I recalled this……NOPE. I barely recall people saying, ‘someone help her, someone help her’. I never did faint but was helped off to sit. Once the sight began to come back I wanted to get back out there to try and salvage my chance at getting judged here!

I went out, broke out into a full sweat and pulled it off. I was called into the first call out line up. It’s all a blur but I at least I got out there in time. I did not find out til later it was first call out I made it back, felt like I was off stage forever but it was only seconds.

I had 40 mins or so to recover for routine. I knew I could pull it off because when I blacked out on stage I had been out there for more than 2 mins. Routine is 90 secs. I can black out after…………..teehee.

I was weak for routine unfortunately but did it.

Of course today I am leaner than I was when I did BCs so maybe another 2-4 weeks and I could have placed better but I did not figure in that after a year sick it may take an extra few weeks to get to peak and for my body to come in.

The good thing is I decided to take the rest of my comps off the list and just train toward next July so see if I can crack that top place and overall at the BCs and get my lifetime by into Nationals which for me is handy in several ways. I like competing so it’s not a big deal but for the years where Nationals falls into provinces I may not be health ready for, like SK, I can skip that year and not have to re-qualify each time with the risk of not making it.

Next year Nationals are here so it’s okay but I did go to the dr and check on why this happened since it has never happened to me in contest before, it has though with the asthma.

I was able to breathe so I did not think it was related but apparently the dr confirmed I was oxygen depleted - not dehydrated nor carb depleted, hence the ‘stoned’ feeling when I landed. The Dr. suggested I do not go there again.

As for not being dehydrated or depleted……I know this because I did the least depletion ever on both of those. I worked with Mike Davies for support and he does things a bit different than I do. I used to start dandelion and such a month out, but then I came in stringy, this year barely any.

The lack of humidity out there and dryness was not good for me and I am still recovering a week later. My lungs are very heavy and had suffered but by the time that part kicks in its too late, good thing I was only gone 2 days.

IN the end I placed 6^th again just like 09. This tells me I basically recovered my body back, to where it was before I got sick last year. I did this in 12 weeks, dropping 20 lbs in 8. I am trying to focus on those positives but of course I am so disappointed in my placings this year.

I am very happy for Vanda Hardaaren who did win my class and get her pro card by winning fitness overall. Her body is very attainable, very natural. She is not over muscled and not super lean. Seems the new judge panel at Nationals is doing a great job with the fitness look they are choosing as winners!

Here are a few shots from the plane as I was landing in BC with a huge sigh of relief, so happy to be home- ahhh mountains and water, coast! Also a few shots the day after comp.