So, I’m still not 100% sure if I’m even going to do a competition this year. After much consideration, I first decided that if I do compete it will be in bikini not figure. The reason for that is muscle size – figure competitors are just one step down from body builders and I do not want to have that much muscle on my body. I want to be strong and toned and have low body fat, but I do not want to have actual large muscles. With that being said – there’s a good chance I may not even end up doing the competition, but that will not be decided until much later in the year. The reason for that is training.

Sure I could dedicate 100% of my training time to getting my body into peak bikini competition shape.  But I’m an endurance athlete. 3 Marathons, 9 Half Marathons, countless miles upon miles spent conditioning my body to endure hours on the road. I’m not willing to give that up to focus solely on some cardio conditioning and mostly strength training. I have worked too hard for too long to get my endurance where it is, and I’d like to keep it there.

I also plan on running at least two Tough Mudder’s this year and probably a couple Spartan Races and who knows what else with the bf and his friends. I am running Tour de Patrick in March – a local series of 3 5k’s centered around 3 different cities St. Patrick’s Day parades. I missed it last year because I was running the Rock N Roll New Orleans Marathon and I don’t want to miss it again. I’m also running Reach the Beach Relay in MA in May. So, as you can see, LOTS of running events (duh, I AM a runner after all!)

To be honest with you – I hadn’t thought of any of this before having a chat with the bf. He was talking to one of his friends about all of this and they came to the conclusion that training for both endurance/running events AND a bikini competition isn’t the best thing to do in the same year. They advised me to pick one or the other – and running events are a top priority for me. So then the bf said – why don’t you train for the Tough Mudder’s and any other running events you want to do, continue with your strength workouts (I’ve been doing a LOT of kettlebell stuff with him – 3x a week lately, and feeling so much stronger) and then when we get closer to September you can decide if the bikini competition is in the cards for me or not.

Meanwhile, I am going to continue to track my progress – weights, measurements, and photos. Apparently all this kettlebell stuff is going to give me killer abs… I hope so! I will check in with you guys on a biweekly basis with updates on all of that. Here’s week 1:

I’m also going to try to keep up with writing more often – I’ve been a wicked slacker lately!

What are you guys training for this year?