Summer's Here

I’ve been pushing hard all winter, lifting four to six days every week, counting calories/macros, waking up at the crack of dawn, skipping parties, and keeping my priorities straight, but now it’s time to determine what I’ve accomplished.  My first real competition season is right around the corner.  This summer, I’ll be making my debut on stage as a Physique athlete, I’ll be testing my endurance and running a 50mile marathon, and then I’ll be attempting to be top competitor in a 5k.  Needless to say, I will be testing and pushing my body in many, very different, ways. 50 Mile Ultra-This will be a true test of not only my physical endurance, but also my mental toughness.  50 miles is a long distance no matter how I break it up and there’s no getting around that.   But it is obtainable and I will do everything I can to prepare for this race.  It is tough to place an exact goal on a finish time, as truthfully my goal is to cross that finish line in one piece regardless of the time.  But I can say that this race will be nearly a half-day event and I am very excited for race day. 5k race.  I decided to set a goal for myself to finish a 5k with a pace around a 6:30 mile.  Short races are not my forte; I’ll put that out on the table.  But in my pursuit to become a better and more rounded athlete, I need to work on my weaknesses and so I will be training to compete in this event. Physique Show.  I have literally no experience on stage and so this event is by far the most intimidating to me.  That being said, I am more excited to step on stage than I am to cross the race line.  I will go in with the mindset that I will place high among the competitors, but in reality, I will be competing this summer for the experience.  I am still young and I have a lot of physical maturing to do before I can consider taking home a pro card.  It is tough to expect only experience when I have, by far, trained the hardest for this event, but I promise you this will not be the last time I step on stage and I will one day take a position on top that podium. Am I nervous?  Absolutely, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t.  Am I worried I may have set my goals too high and diverse? Yes.  Am I afraid of failure?  You better believe it.  But at the same time, I’m ready, I’m more ready then I’ve ever been in fact, and I don’t plan on coming up short.  I ready to prove to myself what I can really do.  I have changed a lot in the last year, and I’m excited to see where I can really excel. The exact dates of these events are not set in stone, as it depends on my summer plans and whether I stay in the Twin Cities or not, but I will be determining them soon.  For the most current news on my competition dates, both @BeastSports and @TeamBurdick on Twitter will be the most reliable source.