52 days and counting

SO its back on again for me.. 52 days (under 8 weeks) till the Cape Cod show. I've enjoyed having the last few weeks off.. Although my training and eating were very solid I got to enjoy some adult drinks and foods that were off limits during my 100 days of prep for my first show. Just like last time I will avoid alcohol, sugar, dairy, fruit etc till the competition. I am sure there will be tough tempting days as summer is winding down and we created a south beach like atmosphere in our back yard. I only gained 5 pounds since the show, so my feeling is that this time will be a little easier. It seems like a lot of sacrifice, which I guess it is, but I LOVE it. I have never loved training for something so much. And just like last time I don't want to get up there and have one regret "if I had trained harder, if I had eaten cleaner" etc. That is what keeps me focused and also my trainer telling me "We have 8 pounds of SOFT to lose" normally not a phrase any chic wants to hear, but its the truth. This isn't rocking a cute dress at a party, its clear heals and a figure suit which does little to hide imperfections.
My goals are the same, to train my hardest, eat clean and see what happens. Whatever place I come in still doesn't matter to me in the least bit. I just want to finish, then of course have a victory meal and skinny rita!
I know a lot of people still don't get this, and unless you trained for this specifically you never would. Even Jay who lives with me and had seen me at my best/worst through this process is sometimes a little confused as to what I'm doing. He is supportive and knows when to just smile and wave and to not ask if I'm "ok". As much as I love this, there are days where its just hard to be 100% on, but I will do it:)
For the last few weeks we trained heavier and slower. Now it will start to crank back up again, functional days, more supersets and less rest time. Increasing steadily with cardio, and doing my cardio mostly at 5:30am on an empty stomach (tough for me). Diet gets a lot tighter, still cycling carbs but everything is weighed and measured and no cheat meals. Sunday was my last cheat day and it was a GOOD ONE.. Nachos for lunch, snacking on dark choc espresso beans though out the day, and choco chip cookies and kettle popcorn... I just had to get it all in before starting 8 weeks of tough work:)