2013 Arnold Classic: Columbus, Ohio

I attended the Arnold Classic for the first time last year as a spectator when I had just begun my fitness journey, so taking the stage as a bikini competitor this year was an honor. The competition was as large as nationals- in terms of the number of bikini competitors- except this was an INTERNATIONAL competition. I competed against women from Russia, New Zealand, Mexico, Brazil, Spain, South Africa, Phillipines, Italy, Singapore, Iceland, Serbia, Dominican Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Ukraine, Canada, UK, and Australia to name a few! (It's so crazy how vast the sport of bodybuilding is.) Competition was extremely stiff. So many beautiful women and amazing physiques. There were 47 women in my height class- and 6 height classes total. I had NO expectations going into it, especially after only 6 weeks of dieting. This was an experiment for me- I wanted to find more balance in my diet (which was still pretty strict, just added fruit mainly). Although I didn't place (which means top 10), I'm glad I went for it- and my 6 weeks of prep was not wasted. I compete again in 2 weeks, at another huge show in Cincinnati, and then I am taking some much needed time off. I have identified some areas to improve and need to build a bit more muscle. It's hard to know objectively what the judges are looking for- but I am noticing a trend with the women who are winning: they are usually bigger/more muscular than me. This is certainly a process.... And I'm not stopping. I definitely enjoy lifting weights and eating....so this should be a good off season :)
*I only have a few pics from this show- prejudging pics have not been posted online and I'm not sure that any will be.