Back to reality and Dohertys Gym CITY

Well we are into a new week, I have carbs in my diet again and some semblance of a brain-a point which many may beg to differ on sometimes. After a mammoth competition season that has seen a few thousand air miles racked up with Virgin Australia/Blue (love these guys), I am so very happy to say that I am back home & in the gym, training seriously again. (Oh, Dohertys how we missed you...)

After a hectic national championships, I returned on the last flight back to Melbourne, Sunday night, to a chilling 9 degrees-what is with that?- Despite the cold, it was nice to finally be home and ready to kick off the last weeks of 2010 with an increased training intensity, not only for myself but for all my wonderful crew too. I know they will hate me for saying it, but a month of no Pocket Rocket is simply far too long a holiday in my books.

I am soo excited about the new training packages and online portals for purchasing programs (a facebook store and PRP has some great new items for you), new store items ranging from services, books, plans, accessories and apparel, pictures and soooo much more. With Team JP-POCKET ROCKET kicking goals, I am so excited to say that we will be having nutrition seminars and events on a regular basis in Melbourne. Soon also, to be held around Perth and Queensland, even more exciting are the guest speakers we have lined up to share their knowledge (cant say just yet but players from the major codes and some sporting stars will be making an appearance). There will also be Wellness Retreats for all you over worked, over stressed people who need to escape and recharge those batteries.

*For anyone who wants to know more about these events and also how to be a part of this dynamic and growing team I urge you to shoot me a contact asap, spots fill fast and you dont want to be left out in the COLD.

Glamazon and I have new training planned. After some super fantastic personal athletic results in 2010 I am keen to keep the body on track for an even better 2011. Progress is an on-going and ever evolving aspect of this sport and life, so progress we shall. Adapt, progress and improve. So stay tuned for some interesting training updates and challenges both mentally and physically being set and achieved.

Ready to hit my first spin session in nearly 6 weeks tomorrow morning, I wish everyone the best week, super charged training sessions...remember if you are not going anywhere fast, perhaps it is time to reassess your direction and adapt accordingly...the choice is always yours, so choose your choice wisely and commit fully to the actions required.

xx

Snails & Market Tales

French restaurants always fill me with a sense of trepidation...creamy sauces, richly garnished miniature portions of everything and sweet selections that make even the sourest of palettes cry in divine agony at the choice. So when I was informed that for the final dinner with our wonderfully accommodating and gracious hosts (Glamazon's Aunt and Uncle), was going to be French, I will admit to a gut knotting wave of terror sweeping over me. I will say now, for the record, i had nothing to fear. This was French as I like it...CLEAN! I had to have snails to start, after all when in Rome...and they did not have frogs legs on offer, so Snails it was (and they were really, really good!). Fish for mains and a sneaky taste of Glamazon's dessert and we were done.
Sadly we did not get to see the cellar of the this, the largest in Latin America boasting a wide variety of global wines including some of our very special Victorian varieties.

So to MARKET, to MARKET we went the following day. What a spectacular and vibrant way to spend a few hours. Silver, food, homewares, figurines,paper flowers all hand made...anything you could imagine and many things you never would have (a figure carved our of the top of a match head, so small you needed a magnifying glass to see the details). The highlight of all this wonderous oddness...the fortune telling finch who chose my fortune upon command from his master and after this little bird gave me some careful consideration here is what the fortune said:"The oracle says that your future will be brilliant....you are ambitious and work hard and will set yourself up in business...you will meet kind and honest people who will make journeys with you that prove most worthwhile..."So there you have it, direct from the insightful 'oracle-bird', too cute for words.
With a final Starbucks quadruple shot espresso (the only way you could actually get a decent Ozzie standard coffee hit). We bade farewell to Mexico I paid $100 in excess baggage (damn shoes)and began the 15hours haul back to Melbourne.

What a wonderful trip, amazing competition results (the official placings came in as 8th in the World, OMG), what gorgeous new friends were made. As well as a newly discovered thirst to see even more of this unique part of the world. On my personal development agenda, learning Spanish, which I plan to be quite adept at this time next year.

So, as we landed in Melbourne this morning at 5am to be greeted by a balmy 17 degrees outside, I welcomed in another year as both older and wiser and certainly fitter (which is always my goal)...33 and proud to say happy, fulfilled and super excited about just what gems the next 12 months will hold for me. In an attempt to beat the jet lag I have been able to stay awake all day. I have trained, I have blogged and I am now I am very flogged and very ready to sleep, for the first time in 3 weeks, in my own bed. Oh the bliss!

"dulces sueños a todos, buenas noches" -sweet dreams to you all, good night xxxxxxx

Aztec Pirimides & too many shoes....

With the finals days of our Mexico stay flying by, Glamazon and I are filling as much of our time soaking in the local scene as we can.
Yesterday, was a trip to the Aztec Pirimedes (yes i did spell that correctly...lol) monuments to the Sun and Moon and about 40min out of the city center. After the chaotic traffic and the constant noise, this area was peaceful and quite magical. We climbed the huge structure of stones, each having been layed by hand so many thousands of years ago. It is believed the site dates from A.D 1100, the fact that every single stone was set, cut and moved by hand, still blows my mind. That at a similar time in history, mirror images of these structures were being constructed by unrelated groups of peoples thousands of miles away in Egypt is also quite amazing.

The whole area, looking out from the vantage point of the pirimedes peak, was so much greener than i imagined it would be. A flat basin surrounded by some active and some dormant volcanic mountains. Quite a stunning scene to behold and you can see why the Aztecs chose such a spot to honor their Gods.

Tourism is of course a big part of the modern Mexican´s way of earning a living and there were plenty of stalls at the base of the runis to pick up trinkets. Which we of course did.

Probably one of the most interesting expereinces I take with me from this day was just how the altitude effected most of the people there, you really had to take your time going to the top of the steep ruins and I nearly lost a lung a couple of times. Felt like i had run a marathon after too, gees did we get hungrey.So, lunch was back in Mexico City overlooking the Cathedral and Parliment House at a rooftop resturant that was so stunning. Classical spanish guitar playing in the background, smells of barbequed beef coming from the open grill and my eyes streaming from having just bitten into what i thought was avocado but was actually the hottest green chilli on the planet....perfecto!..lol...(*note to self: Sara, in Mexico you simply MUST proceed with caution when it comes to food, OK!)

Thats why the shoes, i will blame it on the chilli. Glamazon and I took a trip around the shops and yes I ended up buying 5 pairs of shoes. I have no excuses other than I am a girl, they were really cheap, very cute and oh who am i kidding...I had a great afternoon. In fact, it was a super touristy and very lovely day.

The rest of the trip is looking full too,on Saturday we go to market, where many of the locals buy and sell their wares, cant wait. A relaxing day at a Spa here in the trendy and fashionable Palenco and of course training everyday has not stopped. The weather has been perfect too, we really could not have wished for a better close to our stay....
Hasta Manana...Adios..xx

Top Ten & a bout of food poisoning

(arrivals in Mexico, first Mexican Starbucks coffee, hmmmmm)

What a whirlwind the last week has been. Mexico is a city of vibrant personalities, colour and bustling activity. I must say I love this place, Palanco, where I am stayng is just beautiful, chique and the people here are so glamorous and elegant. To say there is a great deal of money here is an under statement. By complete contrast, where the competiton was held, was probably more in line with the cliched view of Mexico; very industrial, poorer and simpler. But what an experience the competiton was.(caged Toocan, near Fiesta Inn)
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 2010- Over 200 competitors from approximately 30 nations across the globe were represented at the championships. I was dropped off by Glamazon at the Fiesta Inn Hotel on the Thursday, photo ID in hand and ready to take the next couple of days easy as we depleated down into the show. The registration was organised chaos on the friday night. (Pocket and some of Team Mexico, who had a ball with the entire event, VIVA MEXICO!)

We all had to get into our bikinis and show their cut and our shoes to the many officials on hand, to be checked to ensure they were regualton height and non-platform and the biinis were not too skimpy....the majority of us (yes me included) were told that our shoes were incorrect and the we had to buy a pair before were were allowed on stage...so the day of the show, I was to be found trapsing around the local mall trying to find black high heels in my size...no mean feat in great circumstances, let alone where no one speaks english and you have non-standard shoes size....but I came away a winner. My new friends, Alan and Anable Rodregez from Tijuana were the main reason I actually got the correct shoes, without their interpreting I would have been in big trouble. (Pocket and Anabel)
So we get the the show, prejudging was in black bikinis; backstage girls were lining up to go on and being weeded out for wrong bikinis and shoes right to the last moment, incorrect jewelery and hair accessories too. But we fnally got on stage and the deliberations by the judges were long and quite intensive, complete contrast to the Arnolds speed judging experience. I got into the fourth call out, what a relief. Then we were off stage, the top 15 were asked back out in our one pieces and the process was repeated with callouts. From here the top 6 were called back to the finals the following day. Sadly I did not get through to the top 6 to wear my bling bikini, but Top 10 was certainly a very amazing achevement for the unknown Aussie competitor. I was amazed that many of the girls were old hands at this competition and most were very well known to the judges and each other.

The bodies on display, when I actually got to see the finals were amazing. Standards were exceptionally high and all winners were drug tested too to WADA standards; so often I hear the IFBB refered to by usually the 'natural federations and competitors' as the 'drug' federation. Well, this proves their statements and negativty as completely wrong. This was a World Championships show and I witness first hand their strict drug policy played out, which was very comforting to see.

So the winners were announced and the event was done. We all headed back to the hotel changed and headed via bus to the resturant where the farewell dinner was held. A canteena style eatery with a live band that played latino music all night. Everyone Salsad (yes I learnt to Salsa for th first time)between courses -which was a very novel idea, you eat and dance and eat and dance, great! Many of the Russian, Czech, Polish team members got stuck into the Tequilla.....oh what a mess that turned out to be, the Mexicans get loud and hyped up on tequilla, the Russians and Czechs just got cranky, and then spewed on the bus on the way home...nasty! But quite funny none-the-less. Oh and ladies, have to say f you want to see a gentlemen then latino men have manners in vast quantity; I have never expereinced being asked to dance and then escorted back to my seat with a polite 'thankyou senorita', my goodness, I nearly fell over!

(Local Law Inforcement; I interupted their breakfast for the pic which they scoffed down off the bonnet of their 4WD)

(Mexico, Venezuela & Australia pre farewell dinner)
(team Mexico and Australia)

(Overall Bodyfitness winner and Pocket)



So, no tequilla for me, it is OCSOBER after all. But I may as well have gotten blind becasue I was drivng the porcilain bus by 3am and didnt stop for a good 12 hours. Nothing like throwing any bit of fluid and food after you have been depleted from a show huh? Dont know what I ate, but it did not agree with me at all. I can now say I have had most of the Mexican expereince. I do feel a darn sight better today, have ventured to the shops and seen a bit of the local scene this morning, after a decent shot of starbucks coffee of course.

So I have 1 week left here and will be updating more reularly from now on. So stay tuned...xxxx