Where do I start? First, I’ll let you know I started my peak week last Thursday. I was technically supposed to start on Wednesday, but by the time I got my plan, I was already at the airport and had eaten more than the allotted amounts of carbs and fats for that day. Oops. But it all worked out wonderfully, and I managed to eat most of the perishable foods I had packed with me (asparagus, yams, and carrots), so I didn’t have to waste anything after all! My peak week definitely looks doable (as I’ve said before, no water loading/cutting). I’m playing around with my macros and my sodium (which I’d never worried about before), but we’re going to play it by ear how the rest of the week goes. My meals leading up to prejudging (up to 6 hours before) have all been planned, and I cannot wait! There are even Reese’s Cups in my plan! And rice cakes, honey, and peanut butter! (And steak and yams…) How can the show not go great after all those yummy treats?!
So…VEGAS! I arrived late Wednesday night (technically early Thursday morning) and checked into the Orleans (dirty hotel room, and it’s FAR from the Strip! I wouldn’t recommend it!). Olympia stuff was EVERYWHERE, and I couldn’t wait for the festivities to start! First thing first, of course, I had my photo shoots….
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| Good morning, Las Vegas! |
Bright and early at 8:15, I met my hairstylist, Roni, and my makeup artist, Junior, from Rain Cosmetics in the lobby. I was referred to them by Angel Porrino (for anyone who watched the short-lived reality show, Holly’s World, she was one of the starring characters!) via Twitter, and they did not disappoint! They were hilarious and gave me some great gossip (apparently, people are NOT sad that Holly’s leaving Peepshow!), and I looked FABULOUS (not to sound conceited!).
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| Ready for my shoots! |
At 10, I met Harry of LHGFX (who has shot with ALL of the fabulous fitness models and competitors!), and we headed down to the pool. Harry was such a great guy; very warm and friendly, and he gave me great direction for the shoot (since I’ve never done anything like that before!). I cannot WAIT to see the proofs! The pics I saw on his camera were incredible enough!
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| Harry of LHGFX -- so wonderful! |
That hour with him flew by, and soon, it was time to meet Stacy from SO Photography (she’s shot with a lot of fitness celebs too, like Ava Cowan—which is how I heard she would be there—and the day I shot with her, she’d shot with Monica Brant in the morning!).
After walking for what seemed like an eternity in the sweltering Vegas heat to the Luxor, I was surprised that my hair and makeup were still looking fresh! Just a dab of gloss, and I was camera-ready! Stacy and her assistant, Rick, were also super sweet and welcoming! We shot in their hotel room, where they had a big white background set up for the fitness shots. We took a lot of commercial fitness photos (I love those because I get to smile! I have a lot work to do on my pout!) and some more sexy shots as well. That time flew by too, and I couldn’t believe that at the end of it, I had a full day of shooting behind me! I could definitely get used to this lifestyle!
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| Stacy from SO Photography |
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| Stacy's assistant, Rick |
After getting a little lost on my way back (I must’ve taken every possible path around the overpass for the freeway trying to find a way to get across!), I was able to hang out at the hotel, eat, and have a quick Skype date with my hubby. And then it was already time for Meet the Olympians in the hotel!
If anyone is thinking of coming to the Olympia and wants to meet any Olympia athletes, this is a must! I didn’t know how big it would be and came around 8:30, which was a huge mistake! (It started at 8 and closed at 9, which I didn’t know). ALL of the competitors are there, signing autographs, taking pictures, and the lines are much shorter than they are at the expo! Next year, I’ll definitely get there are 8 on the dot!
The first person I met when I got there was none other than LAYNE! I noticed his beautiful wife, Isabelle, first, and then I looked behind her and saw Layne! It took him a few seconds to figure out who I was (he must’ve been bombarded with friends and familiar faces all day, so I didn’t hold that against him!), but once he got it, he gave me a huge hug and introduced me to Isabelle. He was bragging about how I’ve been able to increase my calories as the prep went on, which is apparently really rare! (Yay!) He was on his way out as I was on my way in, so we agreed to chat more during the expo over the next couple of days.
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| Me and LAYNE NORTON!! |
The second person I saw right when I came in was AVA COWAN! I’ve been a huge fan of Ava's since watching her in The Sport of Figure (check it out on YouTube; she’s INCREDIBLE!), and she was standing there looking TINY with a fresh new haircut and colour! I grabbed a picture, let her know I was also training with Layne, and got a free tank from her (my new favourite shirt!!!). Starstruck!
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| Me and THE Ava Cowan!!! |
I was able to meet Erin Stern that night too, and she was unbelievably upbeat and energetic for the night before the competition! She was also one of the few competitors not wearing a baggy tracksuit (I imagine to avoid messing up their competition colour). She was great!
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| 2012 Figure Olympia, Erin Stern! |
Just seeing all of the competitors standing or sitting around was incredible. To see all of these people I either follow on Facebook/Instagram/Twitter or see on the pages of fitness magazines all in one room was mind-blowing! Oh, and did I mention I ran into Larissa Reis in the hotel hallway? (I actually saw her a few times over the weekend, as her room was down the hall from mine.) I saw a small, but very shapely woman (her legs are out of this world!!!) walking toward me with a trucker hat, and when she got closer, I noticed who it was. I stopped immediately and had no idea what to say except “OH MY GOD! YOU’RE LARISSA REIS! YOU’RE SO BEAUTIFUL!” And then, the most amazing thing happened: she asked me if I was competing at Olympia! WHAT?! A world-class figure girl thinks I look like I could compete at OLYMPIA?! *swoon!* (I also met her again the next day to grab a photo with her, and the actually remembered me from that brief encounter!)
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| Larissa Reis!!! |
So, my head still spinning from seeing all those competitors in one room, I headed to bed. The next day was the big expo, and there was no way I was missing that!
The expo was INCREDIBLE!!! (Both days!) I’ll post on that later this week (hopefully tomorrow!) because I could honestly write a novel about it! It was such a wonderful experience, and such amazing encouragement for this last week of prep!
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