Change of Plans, Rethinking My Training Plan & Listening to My Body

Happy Monday Folks! As the title indicates, there have been a few modifications and changes to my half marathon training and race! I have said before, but it never hurts to repeat myself - I am deplorable at taking rest days, stretching, and taking it easy overall in the workout department. Not that I have a six pack to show for all these efforts, one day!

Anywho, two weeks ago, before I went to Florida, I reluctantly agreed decided to push back my half marathon to the following weekend. Coach Kemp was not enthused about the thought of me traveling to West Virginia by myself when he was in Canada! I begrudgingly agreed that it was not the best of ideas, and then joyfully found a race the following weekend in Dublin, Ohio, the Emerald City Half Marathon.

I actually am pretty enthused to have my chauffeur and cheerleader there for me at the race! Thanks Coach for being such a sport!

Now I technically have 7 weeks to prepare for this race, well I had started training, but now my eyes are set on a different half; you get what I mean. This gave me an opportunity to reflect on my current training plan... Which, to be honest, has been a little challenging for me to handle.

I think there are a number of factors that are contributing to my burn-out in the running department. First, I started CrossFit, and I will be honest, the workouts kick my butt!! I will share this week's workouts in a few. Sure, I have been working-out for some time, but my body is needing some time to adjust to the new workouts.

Second, I am horrible at stretching before and after workouts. I mean HORRIBLE! Thank heavens CrossFit SEO includes warm-ups and stretches post workouts, because if not, this lady would keep it trekking which is no good. I am going to enforce 10 minutes of stretching and rolling daily!

Third, gosh I hate admitting #3, but I am not sure if I gave myself enough down time between my marathon and training for this subsequent half. I am going to take a major break after this half marathon. I have not even looked at any race calendars nor will I allow myself. I am planning to take a graduate course in the fall, which I am hoping ties over my antsy tendencies of not feeling busy enough.

I was able to get in five workouts this week, some in Tampa and the others here in Athens. On Monday morning I took yet another 6am BodFit class with my girlfriends from high school; I too had taken an early morning class on Wednesday with the crew. Wow, if I was living in Tampa, I would definitely incorporate BodFit into my normal routine. It is pure insanity, not the workout, for 1.5 hours! My girlfriends, Elizabeth and Candice have been going for like 5 years, and I completely see why they are hooked. Candice drives like 30+ mins just to get to the studio! Honestly, that workout too had me questioning my fitness level, what the heck gives lately!?!

Tuesday was a rest day, and then was followed by a 1 hour run around campus on Wednesday! Thursday-Saturday were CrossFit SEO workouts!!!

Thursday CrossFit WOD
EMOM (8 Mins)

• 1 snatch balance 
• 6 fish flops

My Performance: Using 35lbs dumbbell

3 ROUNDS For TIME

• Run 800 meters
• Farmers Carry (One Large Lap)

My Performance: 17 Mins 8 Secs using 20 lbs dumbbells in each hand (should have used 25)

Friday CrossFit WOD
5-10-15-15-10-5 (11 Mins)

• Med Ball Cleans
• Box Jump Overs
• Push Press

My Performance: 1125 [Did not do last round of 5 (15) +  and 10 push press = 25]
Used 14 lbs med ball
45' box jump

Saturday CrossFit WOD
Warrior WOD, Murph

• 1 mile run
• 100 pull-ups
• 200 push-ups
• 300 squats
• 1 mile run

My Performance: 43 mins 54 seconds

Mods: Black band for pull-ups & knee push-ups

Michelyn

TGIF & BBB Favorites

I am telling you, being delayed on Monday has put me in such a funk all week, and I am so enthused that today is Friday!! TGIF. Honestly, I should not be complaining since my safety and the safety of the passengers is what is most important, but I now feel like I have finally recuperated from traveling the whole day on Monday! I am totally b*itching, so excuse my rant. Onto the next thing at hand!

I had planned a different post for today, but want to work a little more on it, so figured it would be fun to share a little about myself. Here are a few of my favorites!

COLOR

purple - any shade!

MOVIE

I am weird, and am not a frequent movie watcher! 

TV SHOW

Law & Order: Special Victim Unit. Lord help me if there is a marathon because all productivity stops for the entire duration of the marathon. I even love watching re-runs! My second favorite would be any of the Real Housewives, especially Hotlanta!

MAGAZINE

Women's Health. Remember my May Currently when I discussed reading numerous months issues! Well, I have read them all! 

SONG

It's an old school song, but one of my favorites; Brick House by The Commodores.

MUSICIAN

My husband is going to completely refute this but I love Janet Jackson, sorry Michael. When is she going on tour? I mean I know you are married to a bagillionaire, but don't forget about your fans. I also love Beyonce and Mariah Carey.  

ACTRESS

Since I am not a huge movie fan, I don't follow actresses that well, but I do have a slight obsession with Nicole Murphy. Honestly, her body is to DIE for, and Michael Strahan is so handsome.

PHYSICAL TRAIT ON MALE

Which leads perfectly into this next favorite, lol. Broad shoulders! 

SPORT

Football! Surprised? I grew up in the South and have an ex-NFL player as a father; what do you expect! Ok, I am married to a basketball coach, so it comes in as a close second! 

PERSONALITY TRAIT ON MALE

Honesty & Guardian

PHYSICAL FEATURE ON SELF

Legs

WORKOUT

Running

BRAND OF MAKE-UP

MAC

CLOTHING STORE

TJ Maxx, Nordstrom, and did you know Nordstrom Rack now has an online store, whoot whoot. The USPS guy was just here today, please believe he will be here weekly! 

SHOE

Heels & Running Shoes. Actually, any shoe works for me!

DRINK (ALCOHOLIC)

Gin & Tonic

DRINK (NON-ALCOHOLIC)

Water

HOBBY

Working Out! Is that a hobby?!?!

TYPE OF VACATION

Tropical

GENRE OF MUSIC

R&B

FOOD

Grilled Cheese

DESSERT

Chocolate Chip Cookies & White Chocolate Chip Cookies (Home made, of course)

TGIF!!!

Michelyn

June 2014 Currently

Reading not one darn thing! I know, this is horrible to confess, but it is the truth! I finally charged the battery on my Nook, so I should find a few summer reads as well. Have anything that you would recommend?

Gloating that our new digs are completely unpacked minus one small box of my perfumes! I have nowhere to store or arrange my "collection" of perfumes, and therefore, have yet to unpack this one box! Thank heavens for scented lotions, because that is all I have been working with this whole month!

Rejoicing  that I found a gym home, whoot whoot! I was somewhat skeptical about trying another Cross Fit gym, but pretty much am smitten with CrossFit SEO!

Enjoying Ohio University, Athens, and especially the great women of Ohio MBB!!!

Looking forward to our trip to DC for the 4th of July! I finally get to meet two special nuggets; my cousin, Carter, and my girl friend's second baby, Pippa!

Preparing for my upcoming half marathon in August! The choice in half has changed, more about that in my Sunday post.

Thanks for reading. Check out my previous "Currentlys"

May 2014
April 2014
February 2014

Michelyn

2 Days Later... My Trip to Miss Florida

Well, this post is coming two days after I had intended to have it written and much shorter of a recap!

My only excuse, and a good one, is a major delay with traveling from Florida back to Ohio! I was to arrive in Columbus at 3:00 pm on Monday and did not arrive until 1:00 am! Big difference. Oh, and of course my luggage did not make it so I had to travel to back to Columbus yesterday, Tuesday! I am basically 1.5 days behind with everything I had planned this week, including blog posts!

On an aside, I need to purchase a new I-pad because that would have solved the issue of not having time to draft some of my posts for this week. Coach Kemp, good hint for my upcoming birthday, thanks!

But my time in Tampa was well spent. I had so much fun meeting up with my high school and college girl friends, spending time with my parents, and of course the pageant events!

My mother, myself , and one of her friend's, Janet, became certified Miss Florida (MAO) judges early on Saturday morning! It was very informative, and I look forward to judging a few pageants this upcoming pageant season. I think it was a lot for Janet, but she thoroughly enjoyed herself. Having competed for a number of years, I sometimes take for granted all the information that I know. It was nice to review the MAO with her, and answer all her questions. She too attended the Miss Florida's Outstanding Teen and Miss Florida pageants with us later that day!

Janet already has perfected her pageant stance! I am one proud lady!

The pageants themselves were so nostalgic! Jeeze, this past weekend made me realize how much I miss pageants. I do not foresee myself competing in any of the Mrs. pageant systems, although I know many women who have. Instead, I am enthused to start volunteering my time with the Miss Florida Organization, and am contemplating contacting a local here in Ohio!

Congratulations to the newly crowned Miss Florida, Elizabeth Fechtel. Also crowned this past weekend was Miss Wisconsin, Raeanna Johnson!!

Michelyn

Miss America vs. Miss USA

Oh my, readers! You are in for a treat today! I am so giddy to have my dear, pageant friend Ashley guest post about the differences between Miss America and Miss USA! I simply love this girl! She is such a fun, fashionista, dog lover, runner, and forever "sparkler" in my eyes! She is one of the lovely ladies that supported me in my quest to run a marathon! She has the cutest fur babies, hubby that adores her, and mother that I would not mind claiming as my own.

 

With the greatest pleasure, joy and excitement; please take it away Ashley.... 

 

Hello! I’m Ashley and I write over at If You Give A Girl A Ring. I wanted to first say thanks so much to Michelyn for inviting me to write today. The two of us met years ago competing in the Miss Wisconsin pageant and you won’t meet anyone as genuine and as nice as her! Now that we’re both married and living our happily ever after’s, it’s fun to stay in touch via our blogs and social media since we have a shared love of running and our dogs.

I wanted to share some information on 2 of the major pageant systems out there, Miss America and Miss USA. To the common person, they’re the same thing and no one knows the difference. However, both have some similarities but also differences as well. Both Michelyn and I have competed in each of these pageant systems. As pageant girls, the way we explain the difference between the two is " Miss America is the girl who lives next door and Miss USA is the girl you wished lived next door.”
 

 

 

 

The Miss America pageant is a scholarship program. In order to compete at the national pageant, which is televised on ABC in September, a contestant has to compete in a local preliminary pageant where she win’s a city or regional title. From there, she goes on to the weeklong state pageant and the state winner advances to the Miss America pageant. This system started out as a marketing plan by the city of Atlantic City as a way to keep tourist around after Labor Day and since then has evolved into a way for young women in college to earn scholarship money for college. Each time you win, you earn money to use towards your education.

There are a number of different areas of competition for this pageant including swimsuit, evening gown, onstage question and the two most important and heavily weighed areas are talent and interview. Each contestant has to have a 90 second talent that can be anything of their choosing. I’ve been around pageants for nearly 22 years and I’ve seen everything from dancing and singing to archery and art demonstrations. Contestants also compete in a 10-minute interview which is harder than any job interview I have ever had. You can be asked anything from politics to current events to questions about your state or your personality.

 One other thing to note about the Miss America pageant is that each contestant has to have a platform on which they speak about. This is an issue close to their heart that they want to create awareness on. Bullying, healthy body image, texting and driving, there are endless possibilities to what a contestant wants to promote during her year of service. Along with a contestant’s personal platform, they also promote the national platform of Children’s Miracle Network. Miss America titleholders help create awareness by raising money for the organization and also make appearances to local hospitals and volunteer their time to children in need.

 WHEW! Did you get all of that? That was just one pageant system. In short, the Miss America pageant is all about giving scholarship money to young women who are active in their community. See the connection of how she’s the girl next door?

Now, the Miss USA pageant on the other hand is a different ball game than Miss America. Some states have local pageants that advance to the state pageant, but in most states, girls pay an entry fee where they go to compete at the state pageant.

 At a state Miss USA pageant, each girl competes in three areas of competition; evening gown, swimsuit, and interview. As you can tell, there are less areas of competition when you compare it to the Miss America pageant. While Miss America puts an emphasis on talent, interview and earning scholarship money, the Miss USA pageant puts emphasis on the beauty portion. Having a toned body in swimsuit, a fun personality and exuding confidence and poise in evening gown are what Miss USA is all about, all while showing a little bit of sex appeal. Now do you see how Miss USA is the girl you wished lived next door?

 Having competed in both pageant systems, both are very different depending on what you hope to gain and win from a pageant. If you’ve got a smoking hot body and love getting glammed up, then Miss USA would be the pageant for you. If you’ve got a talent, and would love to earn some money for college, then give Miss America a shot.

In terms of preparation for both pageants, both are equally as hard to prepare for, but in different ways. Miss USA takes a lot of physical preparation of working out and eating right to make sure your body is swimsuit ready. Interview for Miss USA is more about your personality and doesn’t focus on questions about politics or current events in the interview. Miss America requires a lot of preparation in numerous different areas. You need to tone up for swimsuit, brush up on current events for interview, volunteer in your community to support your platform all while finding the time to practice your talent.

While both are very different experiences in competing, I’ve gained a lot of skills and life lessons through both that have helped shape me into who I am today. And, I know it’s a total pageant cliché but let me tell you that it’s true, I’ve met some of my best friends through competing in both pageant systems.

 

 

From Miss USA to MBA

In keeping with my recent posts of pageant tips, I thought it would be a nice opportunity for my readers to receive tips from, not only myself, but other former queens. Today, I have MacKenzie Green, Miss District of Columbia USA 2010, to share a little about herself and some tips of her own.

I have virtually followed MacKenzie for some time through Facebook soon after she won her title! She is a graduate of Miami University and now is pursuing her MBA. You know I love a good example of Brains & Beauty! So without further ado, please welcome MacKenzie to Brains, Beauty & Basketball....

I'm a firm believer in reincarnation, especially when it comes to branding.

When I first started my journey as Miss DC USA 2010, I had one major goal…I refused to let my reign be “the best time of my life.” I admired the titleholders that lived on after the stage, and I wanted to be like those women. I figured I lived one dream; I might as well pursue the rest fearlessly. Then some how it felt like wonderful things kept happening to me. However, most of these things didn't feel planned, and they felt more like happy accidents.

But that was a few years ago, I've learned some things since then. I've learned that none of these things were accidental; they were rather necessary steps on my journey to my dreams. And right now my biggest dream is pursuing an MBA. Beyond any of the typical work that goes towards applying to business school, it is turning out to be an amazing heroes journey of self-discovery.

...don't start to think this means I've completely hung up my crown, or that now I’m one of those ex beauty queens that wears only sensible shoes and tight topknots. I still have remnants of that glittery sparkly girl I grew to be on my way to pursuing a crown.

I wear a few less sequins, and my heels are a little lower...but never fear the beauty queen is still here. My life has evolved in a wonderful way that I could have never imagined. I sit on the national board for the National Council of Negro Women, serving as Young Adult Vice Chair. I work as a senior associate for a financial services firm and consult in digital media, marketing, and communications. I was a UCLA Riordan MBA Fellow, and served as the 2013 Class Chair and Riordan Gala Co-manager. I completed a certificate in Corporate Finance from Georgetown University. And, to commemorate the 57th Anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, I was awarded the Legacy Award by the Southern Youth Leadership Development Institute, cited as a “Legend in the Making.”

Now you may be wondering what is the point of this humble brag. Well for one, anytime you get a chance to brag on yourself, take it proudly. But it’s for another purpose, to show you dear reader that life goes on after the crown. What your legacy in pageantry is sits solely with you. I made a promise to myself when I didn’t win Miss USA, I wanted to be the contestant that you remembered form my class. I want years from now when I’m (God-willing) receiving my appointment as Secretary of Treasury that I am one of the shinning examples of post-pageant success you can recall.

I competed in one pageant, and through divine grace had the opportunity to walk away with the crown. But I knew during my reign and beyond that I was an ambassador for my Miss DC USA 2010 fellow contestants and my hometown of DC. They weren’t lying when they said heavy is the head that wears the crown. However for me, I wore that burden proudly, because to whom so ever much is given, much is required. I am happy to have so many roles and people I represent through my achievements.

I hope what you take from my guest post today is that you can never be afraid to expect more from yourself. To continue to push yourself, and understand that everything you want badly is not always meant for you. That the road to success is never a straight line, and a plethora of other success based clichés. What I really hope is that you realize there are more than pageant stages you can shine on.

You can go to a million and one sites to get pageant tips and tricks, but what you won’t get is an honest answer to, “what happens if I don’t win?” Let me tell you the truth. You may cry, you may emotionally eat, you may beat up on yourself. But if you gave it all you can, you will get over it. And if you are like me, you will use that moment as fuel to push you to your limit. You will dream bigger, and take the lessons you learn on your pageant journey toward the rest of you life.

Pageantry is a transformative process, embrace it, and translate the lessons to your life. If I can walk on stage in a bikini, or answer an on stage question without falling all over my words, then presenting to CEOs or surviving black tie dinners is a cake walk.

Shakespeare was right when he said, "all the world's a stage , and all the men and women merely players." But RuPaul was even more right when she said, "we're all born naked, the rest is merely drag." So rather than think of my evolution and transformation as shedding one role for another, look at it as drag...and honey, I'm about to give you all kinds of business realness.

XOXO,

MacKenzie

frommissusatomba.blogspot.com

Nailing the Interview (Part III): Read, Question, Journal, Converse & Record (Repeat)

I never intended this to be a three-part post (sorry, not sorry), but obviously I have a wealth of information to share about this portion of the competition. In the two previous posts, we discussed the 3Cs to a Pageant Interview and Some Basic Interview Tips.

Today, I am going to share a few tactics and strategies that may be useful as you prepare for the interview. I am going to leave out the mock, or practice interviews, because if you have not figured out that that is paramount, then you aren't taking this seriously. Honestly, practicing is a given!

Read the Newspaper: I know that many today get their news from Twitter and other outlets; all of those I am not apposed to, but you need to be well aware to the events happening in your city, state, as well as, national and global issues. I recently came across a new service, theSkimm, a daily e-newsletter that breaks down the days news. Have you heard of it? Have a subscription? I have had a membership for a lofty 3 days, but my overall impression is that it is a clever idea but not my ideal source for news. I recommend actually reading the newspaper, like USA Today or the Wall Street Journal. Now, I do not think it is imperative to read the whole thing, but the main articles are a good idea. Watching the daily news broadcast can also be an alternative. I am better at grasping facts by reading, so simply listening does work for me; however, I do not think it truly matters how you gain access to this information - just get it!

Develop Questions & Responses: While reading the newspaper and/or listening to the daily news broadcast ask yourself some leading questions; jot those down on a paper or begin compiling them in a notebook. Then, develop responses for those questions and others. The "other" questions can come from the Interview Form or Questionnaire that is given to the judges. You should develop potential questions from the information you placed on the form. See, YOU are in control!?! Never place anything on your bio and/or interview sheet that you don't want someone to later ask you more about! Now when I state to develop responses, I in no way am encouraging for one to develop and then memorize responses. However, having a few bullets and main points that you want to convey with your response is a good idea!

Journal: Keeping a journal is a great way to document your ideas and get to know yourself better. Check out this article which shares 6 Ways Journaling Will Change Your Life!  The Interview portion of the pageant is your opportunity to share your opinion on many hot topics, which requires you to have a stance and opinion. Journaling will assist you develop this, and also have stories from your every day life! Hey, sometimes those are interesting too, and may support a question posed by one of the judges. You never really know!

Converse with Others About Hot Topics: In my previous post, I did say that others' should not provide you with direct responses to questions, but having conversations about topics is a good idea. I believe it is valuable to have your own stance as well as being knowledgeable about others.

Record Yourself: The support of pageant coaches, parents, and friends is always important, but I also believe that self-evaluation helps one grow too. I can remember people telling me things I could improve on in many areas, but at times, it was not until I saw it with my own eyes, that I was truly able to make a change. Observing yourself use too many hand gestures, or hearing yourself say "uhm" 10 times in 1 minute is the only way to break yourself of a bad habit. Or am I the only stubborn person out there? I encourage the use of video and audio recordings as a method of improving your skills in the interview room. You can, of course, also use this when practicing the other areas of the pageant too.

Michelyn

Week 3: Parkersburg Half Marathon Training & CrossFit

	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Week 3	10 M	3 M EZ	35 min tempo	OFF	10 M	3 M EZ	OFF
6/8 - 6/14	8.5 M	5 M EZ CrossFit	OFF	35 min tempo CrossFit	3.5 M EZ CrossFit	CrossFit	10 M

Week 3 brought better runs and the addition of CrossFit classes! Ya'll I think I am in love with CrossFit SEO. I am beyond giddy that I found a gym home. See, it is the simple things that can make this girl content! I have been really fortunate to find stellar gyms in Fargo and Toledo, so I was a little worried that I would find yet another gym. I mean honestly, how good could my luck really be! Maybe I should start playing the lottery, my luck is good!

I am going to start diarying my workouts as I want to document my improvements in the weeks to come, especially while I am training for the half marathon. I thought of this idea on Wednesday, and then forgot to write the exercise from Friday down before Brandon, one of the instructors,  erased it from the dry board! But, I do have the workouts from Wednesday and Thursday! And, on Friday I actually Rx on weights for all of the exercises, ugh, except one! 

Wednesday CrossFit Workout
7 RDS

• Run 1 Lap
• 7 db thrusters (30/40)
• 14 sit-ups

My Performance: 13min 34 secs with 15 lb db thrusters

Thursday CrossFit Workout
EMOM (10 Mins)

• 1 Clean & Jerk
• 10 double unders

My Performance WOD1: 65 lbs for C&J

For Time (9-12-15)

• Clean & Jerk
• Toes to Bars

My Performance WOD2: 8 mins 10 secs; knees to air

Michelyn

Nailing the Interview (Part II): The 3 Cs

Because I'm happy

Clap along if you feel like a day without work

Because I'm happy

Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth

Because I'm happy

Clap along if you know what happiness is to you without work

Because I'm happy

Clap along if you feel like doing nothing is what you wanna do

Because I'm happy it's Summer Break!!

Gosh! I am so darn cheesy that I can't handle myself! But, I am one happy lady since my summer vacation begins today! I know, I work from home how hard can it be... But, the fact that I can arise whenever I want; know that my phone will not be ringing and no emails need to be responded to is pretty fabulous!  Hello Summer Break!

Now that I made that announcement, we can get back to the topic at hand - Interview. If you have not done so already, please review my post from yesterday which introduces a few preliminary interview tips. After tackling those things, you are now ready to start practicing your interview! 

Let's take one step back. I said this yesterday, but I must reiterate it again today. The Interview portion of the pageant is your opportunity to SELL YOURSELF! I liken the interview and on-stage question to the presidential debates, hear me out on this one. When I watch the presidential debates, I am really assessing the candidates overall confidence level, their perceived candor in response, as well as their clarity in answering the question. So, how does this relate to a pageant interview...

Confidence: Are you comfortable in your appearance? What you are wearing? Your make-up and hair? This will exude in your presence and overall aura. Do not allow someone to persuade you to wear something that you don't feel comfortable in or say anything that you truly do not believe! You must believe in yourself - from your appearance to the words that are coming out of your mouth!

Candor: Being open, honest in one's response, showing expression and appropriate emotional responses are important. You may be wondering, how do you practice this? Well, this comes with time and truly being passionate about your stance and opinion. Again, this is why you, the contestant, have to formulate your stances and opinions on your own. I do think having discussions with others can assist your stance, but simply taking another's stance/opinion because it is easy is not the best approach. 

Clarity: Being clear and concise is imperative. You can first be clear by simply re-stating a portion of the question. For example, what is your name? Answer: My name is Michelyn. I know, very simple example! However, listening to the question at hand, and answering the question posed is critical. Also, not rambling is key to a good interview. Although the judges are asking the questions, if you are doing well in the interview, you are truly in control! You control your responses and provide just enough information that answers the question, but allows for  follow-up question. This may not always happen, but when there is good chemistry among the judge and contestant, it can, and you may be golden! 

That is it, right! Well not really. I do have a few techniques that I have found handy when preparing for the pageant interview. I too believe these tips can be advantageous for a job interview! Ask Coach Kemp what it is like to have a beauty queen wife assisting with an upcoming job interview! He was not too fond of my exercises but was later able to realize that my tactics were helpful. Love it when I am right! Wait, that is every day!

Michelyn

Pageant Tips 101: Nailing the Interview (Part I)

Welcome to the first of many posts providing some basic tips for competing in pageants. I have elected to start the series with the interview, since in many cases, the interview is the very first time the judges have an opportunity to see the contestants face-to-face and get an overall feel.

I competed in the MAO system for many years, and we always said that the pageant was won in the Interview. Now, all pageant systems are different, and they may weigh certain areas of competition differently, but in my opinion, if a judge likes you in the interview, they most likely will "like" you for the remainder of the pageant.

The interview is more than just the words that are coming out of your mouth, although that is very important. Also of importance... your appearance! Appearance as in the whole package - hair, make-up, attire, etc. A contestant can be eloquent in her responses, but wearing inappropriate attire and/or make-up, and it is a huge loss.

Now, it is hard to provide general tips for attire, but I recommend doing some research on what past contestants have worn. Pageants are not the time to completely re-invent the wheel. Yes, you want to set yourself apart, but if contestants have traditionally worn traditional suits (not really the case nowadays), I would not recommend that a contestant wear a party dress!

In addition to doing research on the appropriate attire for the interview, also research the pageant history. Research the respective pageant system and know it backward and forward. Also, if you are competing in a MAO preliminary, know your platform as well as the national platform (Children's Miracle Network). If competing in MUO then know about the charitable alliances (Ovarian Cancer, Best Buddies, Gilda's Club), perhaps even volunteer with one of the organizations prior to competing.

Most pageants provide a template for the Interview Biography or Interview Form. I recommend getting some assistance with completing that form whether it be your best friend, parent, or some one who has competed prior. You want feedback about the content in the interview form. This form can also serve as a starting point for your mock interview?!?!

What, you should practice interviewing? Yes, every aspect of the pageant should be rehearsed and practiced for some time. I am not saying that you should have responses memorized, no one wants you to sound like a "Pageant Patty," but you do want to be prepared.

A few things to also find out:

• How long is the interview
• Are you standing or sitting for the interview
• Do you meet with the judges individually, small group, or all of them at once

After knowing what to wear, some information about the national/state-level organization, the format, etc., now you need to prepare for the interview from a personal point-of-view. The interview is your opportunity to SELL YOURSELF!?! Why are you unique? Why would you be a good Miss XXX?

More tips about that tomorrow!

Michelyn

 

Miss USA 2014 Thoughts & Pageant Tips from a Former Beauty Queen

I know, I am a few days late to now be providing my thoughts on the Miss USA pageant, but if you are a die-hard fan, you can talk about this topic for a few months. Well, at least until Miss Universe, and then we may still desire to chatter about the Miss USA pageant too...

If you follow me on Twitter, then you know that it was a family affair on Sunday. Coach Kemp enjoys predicting who will win, and he was actually pretty spot on. He was pulling for Miss North Dakota the entire time! I too thought she was the winner. I actually met her in person while judging the Miss North Dakota USA 2012 pageants. At that time she was giving away her title as Miss North Dakota Teen USA 2011.

Wow, that girl can walk and is absolutely gorgeous in person!!! Very striking overall!!! I am certain she will have a modeling career after this, if she so desires!

Overall, I enjoyed the pageant even though I think 3 hours was entirely too long. Especially the fact that the girls stood for nearly an hour as they called out the Top 20! I did enjoy the personal videos of the girls, but think that Miss USA should consider allowing the girls to sit down as they do at Miss America. If you were wondering how they were feeling, I can tell you that they were absolutely miserable standing for that long. My feet began to ache sympathizing for their agonizing feet! Their feet, already decrepit after wearing heels for nearly 3 weeks straight, and then having to pose on-stage with cameras and judges watching for an hour was surely pure hell!

After I returned from Miss USA, may years ago, I had no desires to wear heals and/or make-up for one month!

My one other comment was during on-stage question... They ushered the parents back-stage for what? I thought it somewhat peculiar that they had the Top 6 contestants' parents back-stage. They did not ask them any questions, and it was simply awkward. I did, however, like the segments which highlighted the parents which too was a nice gesture and brought another personal touch, overall.

 I often get asked to provide tips for competing in pageants, so I figured it would be fun to outline a few of them on my blog. I am going to write several posts on this topic in the coming days and weeks. I have only had experience competing in the Miss America and Miss USA organization, so my opinions are based on my experience. I too do not sell myself as a pageant coach, all opinions are my own, and from my years of competing.

Michelyn

Question of the Day: What were your thoughts of the Miss USA 2014 pageant?

Week 2: Parkersburg Half Marathon Training

	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Week 2	8 M	3 M EZ	6 x 400 IW	OFF	9 M	3 M EZ	OFF
6/1 - 6/7	6 M	5 M	OFF	6 x 400 IW	4 M	CrossFit	OFF

Happy Sunday! Week 2 of half marathon training was not as stellar as I would have liked, but who tries to stick to a plan whilst moving? Because of this, I have decided not to harbor on this less than stellar training week and congratulate myself for not completely putting my workouts on the back burner! Hey, I have 10 more weeks of training, so all is not lost just yet!

Do you see anything "new" about my workouts above? Yes, CrossFit! I took my first class at CrossFit SEO on Friday, and think I am going to join. This week I will do the one-week membership since I will be traveling to Tampa the following week. I figure I can get a month membership, if I so decide, once I return from a quick Florida get-away! 

CrossFit is not foreign to me. I actually joined a CrossFit box while living in Fargo for a few months. A number of things made me decide to switch gyms, but I have aways admired the CrossFit philosophy. I can't give a full review just yet, but my first impressions are positive. Everyone was very friendly!

We have officially unpacked all of our belongings and it feels wonderful! I am so glad to be done with packing/unpacking and the unsettled feeling of knowing you are moving in XX days or weeks. Now, I have the "Athens Digs" to decorate. Do you enjoy interior decorating? I can't say it is one of my strong points, but I am going with it. I wish I could hire an interior decorator to handle the whole thing for me. Oh, and of course an endless budget would be great too!

Michelyn

 

Summer Vacation Dreaming

Well move-in day is upon us. If you are reading this post, I envy you! I would much prefer to be sitting in your seat, or better yet, in one of the locales below.

Let's take a moment to dream about a delightful summer vacation....

Bahamas

Hawaii

Antigua

Jamaica

I am excited to share that the Ohio Men's Basketball program will be traveling to the Diamond Head Classic over Christmas break, so I can cross that one of my summer wish list... Are we the only ones that have not determined where we will be vacationing this summer? Or, if it will even fit into the summer schedule!  

Michelyn

Question of the Day: Where are you vacationing this summer?

Happy Birth Day Prince Finn Kemp

Today is my little pup's first birthday! I sound like a human mom, lol, reflecting on pictures from the day we adopted him to today. I can't believe you have grown from 3lbs to 15lbs!

August 31, 2013

Unlike many things that I do in my life, we adopted Prince on a whim! Sure, Coach Kemp and I had discussed buying a dog in the coming months after our arrival to Toledo, but my internet search on a Thursday afternoon resulted in me finding your picture on the Toledo Animal Shelter website. And then he was taken home on Saturday morning, August 31st, to dog-parents who had not done much research on Pomeranians, puppies, or anything in between!

Sure I grew up with a dog, but that is not the same as raising one in your own home! Potty training for a stubborn dog, aka Prince, was not the easiest feat to be had. Luckily, we have that mastered! And, we made it through teething, although a few things did get destroyed. But all in all, I would not trade your cute little face for anything.

I often get asked about how we chose the name Prince. I had a few names in mind - Dutch (if the dog was female), Duke, and Prince. Coach Kemp detested all of those names. So once I set eyes on him, I figured Baer would be a cute name. I know many dogs his frame get that name, but I desired to spell it differently so figured that would set him apart from the rest of the pack.

While shopping, frantically, prior to picking him up, Coach Kemp stopped me in "mid-throw it in the bag" action and simply stated that he could not handle the name Baer even if we spelled it differently than Bear. See, Coach Kemp is a huge Green Bay Packers fan and could not fathom having a pet with a name anywhere similar to the Chicago Bears! So, he agreed with Prince. We later decided that was more fitting since we adopted him from a shelter, so he was the Fresh Prince of Toledo. Got to love being a kid from the 90s!!

Cheers little guy for year #1 in the books. I pray and hope for many, many more!

June 2, 2014

Michelyn