HSOrlandos 2013 Journal: Being vegan in a non vegan world

[hsorlando]

Tomorrow morning I finally have an interview at the Y, for the Wellness department.YEAH!!! Thankfully the person I have the interview with is the main group exercise instructor, and I have gotten to know him quite well. He knows I love being there, and that I am serious about getting my certification, so that may help. Of course he keeps telling me to do the group exercise cert, but I think I would do better on a one on one setting. I'm more quiet than you can be in the class settings. This interview is just for a job on the floor basically keeping the peace I've been told. But it would get my foot in the door, and I'd start learning more by working with the other fitness staff. Anyway it would be a step in the right direction for me. And several of the trainers know I'm vegan, and no one has asked me stupid questions about protein, and stuff like that. It actually would seem like they respect my being vegan which is nice. Maybe I'll even teach them a thing or two, lol.

[hsorlando]

Wednesday: Body Pump, had a GREAT workout. I really felt it in practically every muscle group. Part of the reason being that I was already sore from the muscle toning class on Tuesday. My legs, back, and chest were probably the areas that I felt most.

Thursday: Today I ran for 2 miles. It is very humid and hot now in Orlando, and it will most likely stay this way until October. So this was my first run in a hot, humid heat. I was running with someone so I was going at a good pace too. Tomorrow I will rest, and then Saturday is my 5k. I hope that it won't be too humid at 7:30am.

 

About my interview, it never happened. It was cancelled because the person I was going to talk to had to take his dog to the vet. I asked, and it wasn't serious. Of course I didn't get the message until after I got to the gym, oh well! But I'll catch up with him later, and hopefully all will go well. I absolutely love being at this YMCA location, and I know that will come through in the interview.

[hsorlando]

OK, tomorrow is my second 5k ever. So I'm starting my day at 5 am, and at 6 meeting someone for a ride there, aka the running instructor. Anyway I was supposed to rest today, but I ended up walking quite a long distance, but I won't get into the why's of it because this would end up being a rant and I want to stay full of positive energy for tomorrow. After the run I will most likely get dropped off at the Y, and walk over to the veg cafe and get something tasty for breakfast. I don't know why but I'm nervous about the race. I know I can run the whole distance, I guess I'm most nervous about what time l'lI finish in. It's a chip timed race so I will be able to track my results online later in the day. This is my first race where I'll be wearing a chip, hopefully it won't fall off. Well it's 10pm, so I'm gonna go relax, and get some rest.

[pamela]

Good luck Hayley! Don't worry, I doubt the chip will fall off. I always have forgotten it's there.

[Lean and Green]

Hayley, good luck on your 5k! Pamela is right about the chip, you don't even realize it's there. One piece of advice, that stupid red tie wrap they give to you, I hate it. The dumb chip skips on my foot. I just take my shoelaces and tie it onto my shoe and make a double knot. It will not go anywhere, I promise. Even if you decide to bungee jump afterwards with it on......

 

Btw, know what those championchips were originally designed for? To track cattle out to pasture, pretty funny huh? Then one day, someone decided that it would be a good idea to use them to track runners progress, lol.

 

And good luck on your interview at the Y also. That sounds like a sweet deal and you should be a shoe in.

 

5am, bright and early huh? Kewwwwl

 

I'm rooting for ya. I was going to run a 4m this sunday but i have some type of dumb cough from a sinus headache that just won't go away so I will probably lay off. Thank god i'm not actually sick b/c when you have a fever you can't do anything. Still training hard.

 

Keep up the hard work hayley.

[hsorlando]

Before I mention anything about todays race I have to post some info I got on my first 5k. I found out that they measured the distance wrong, for the 5k I did in December so everyones time was off by about a minute. I thought my time was 33:20, or around there, but it was really about 34:20.

I just noticed that in todays race I placed 34 for my age group, that made me feel pretty good, I beat about 20 other women in my age group. Not bad for a beginner.

Anyway today if I had to use one word to describe my run it would be humid lol. When I left the apartment this morning at 5:45am I knew the run was going to be tough because it was already quite humid that early in the morning. I had a banana and some water about an hour and a half before the 5k. About 30 minutes before the race I warmed up with the two people I carpooled with. Then at 7:30 am I started my second 5k. I ended with a chip time of 34:24. I won't lie, I was upset about my time, but the running instructor did make me feel better. Basically she said it was a lot hotter, and more humid than it was in December, so I actually had improved with my time. One mile into the run and everyone was sweating profusely. She also said at the end of the race I still had good form. I have to keep reminding myself that I only started running last August, or September, and only started running outside in November.

 

The trainer I was with won the masters, and the other runner, a guy, won 1st for his age group. Actually the sheet said he placed second, but they called his name for first, and the first place prize was better, so he took it, and we left. It was kind of funny, all the prizes were geared toward the tourist industry, and I don't think there were any tourists running. It's nice being able to hang out with some real runners, that actually win.

Edited May 10, 2008 by hsorlando

[pamela]

Hayley, don't worry too much about it. I did a 5k race a few weeks ago and was very disappointed that my time was 2.5 minutes slower than my last 5k in October, even though I've run hundreds and hundreds more kilometers than I had last year. Try not to let it get you down, just keep plugging away.

[Lean and Green]

That's a great time and i'm sure you pushed. That's some weather. Humidity is a reall annoyance. Nyc also gets extremely humid and it can really take its toll on you quick. When I went to arizona to stay for soem time, the temps were in the 100's and i hardly noticed it because it's so dry out there. Major difference although my friend warned me to take it easy when exercising outdoors there because you have to get used to the different air and how you feel when taking it in.

 

That's cool you got to hang with a whole bunch of runners beforehand. I like when you have a group of friends that all go together even though you meet so many people and the vibe alone is wonderful at events.

 

Did you run by yourself, anyone run around your pace that you could pace with? That's what helped me last race. I ran about a minute faster per mile to keep up with someone else and i didn't even know I had it in me. Ultimately imo, running is a sport where it's just you amongst the course, even though there are so many others around you. Unless of course you are in the top 20 and then it is very much so a race. But for everyone else, you are just beating you own time and keeping pace with your old records but for me, i found it beneficial to have someone to help push me that was a little faster than me.

 

Either way congrats on the race and i hope to hear of you participating in many more future ones.

[hsorlando]

Well, if I see a firefighter with all their equipment on passing me, I do my best to not let that happen. I think their equipment weighs around 60 pounds or so. Right before the race we were talking to one firefighter. She wasn't going for a time, because she was running with all that heavy equipment. So later on I found out I beat her by about a minute. I thought she had passedme, but I guess I was wrong. I don't know if I will do anymore races until summer is over because of the heat. Someone told me during the summer in Orlando there aren't very many races because of the heat factor. So I may use the next several months to just get better. One of my upcoming runs might be at the track to see how fast I can run a mile. Other than that at this point I'm not too concerned about the times of my runs.

[hsorlando]

I forgot to post the rest of my workout, it didn't end with my run. After I got dropped off, I hopped on a bus, and headed downtown. It was only 10:30am, and the Body Pump class wasn't until 12pm. I stopped to get some organic coffee, and something to eat. I got a vegan pastry, a cinnamon bun, but I didn't really enjoy it, or the organic coffee. It was several hours after the run so it wasn't like it was too soon after. Anyway the only conclusion I can come up with is that my body is telling me that I don't want anything that isn't good for it. I then walked to the gym, and took my class. I was tired, but persevered. I'm glad I went, and didn't back down because I was too tired. I had a pretty good workout, but went lighter on legs. I try not to give into pitiful excuses if I can help it, since except for being tired there was no reason why I couldn't do some sort of strength training today. Then I went home, and had a nice big salad, which I did enjoy very much!

[Tasha]

MMMMM Salad

I like reading your blog hsorlando

[Karmacharger]

Congrats on doing your second 5K! That's awesome! I've done a few that I've run/walked. I'm hoping I can actually run the next one in its entirety. I just had a moment with food where I caught myself eating something bad and just decided it wasn't worth it. I took my bowl back to the kitchen and tossed it all back. A salad would be great right now. Mmmm.... salad!

[hsorlando]

Sunday was Step, and Body Pump. I didn't realise I pushed myself that hard in the 5k until I took these two classes. My legs were just so tired, but I made it through. Even though my legs felt pretty wobbly I went with a 40 pound barbell for squats. At the end I probably looked like I was about ready to fall over, I felt like it anyway.

Today I finally got my Mom to go back to the gym, actually I was happy that it was 100% her decision this time. So while she was in Yoga I was studying. I ended up having a somewhat informal job interview for the Wellness position. He said he didn't really need to have anything more formal since he already knew me. Anyway I feel really good about it. If I get the job it'll be between 20-40 hours a week. The only downside is it would most likely be covering the early early moning shift starting at 4:45 am. Hey if it means I can get my foot in the door I'll take it. I'd be fully awake by the time my shift was half over. I guess I won't be stopping the coffee drinking anytime soon lol.

At 12pm I took a 45 minute Muscle Toning class. There wasn't any cardio in the class, except for the warmup. I used a barbell, band, and stability ball. There were squats, I am noticing improvement on these finally. There were also shoulder presses, front rows, bicep curls, dips, bench presses, lateral, and front raises holdng two plates, leg extentions while sitting on the stability ball, these are also getting easier. I think finally my awful balance is getting less awful. We also did abs, and possibly a few other things too.

[hsorlando]

Yesterday I ran for three miles. I know I should be going further, but I am currently getting used to running in the heat. The rest of the week I'm not sure what my workouts will be. Robert will be here for the Global Green Expo which starts tomorrow. So today some time I will get in a workout with him. It'll be fun having someone to workout with. That is probably the main reason I stopped using the weight room. It was getting kind of boring, and I needed a change. Anyway I have a feeling that my infrequent use of the weight room is about to change if I actually get a job at the Y. I'm thinking of three, or four weight training days, and three days of running. I'll have a more defininte plan if I get the job.

[hsorlando]

Tonight I trained legs with Robert. It was fun to have someone to workout with again. I may have to hide in Robert's suitcase so I can follow him to Portland and have someone to train with lol!

 

Anyway we met at the gym in the evening because someone had to rest. I got there first and warmed up a bit by walking the outdoor track for half a mile. I could have done something in the cardio area but needed my cellphone on me, and cellphones are not allowed in that area. I'm not sure how long we were at the gym once we met up, but I think it was for quite some time. Alright time to display what I did, and how heavy I went!

 

!eg press: 90lbs 20 reps, 180lbs 15 reps, 270lbs 8 reps, 270lbs 8 reps

I won't lie on the 270lbs I used my arms a bit to help push my legs, but I did it. Anyway after Robert kept adding 45 lb plates I did a few sets of squats holding a 20 lb dumbell.

 

lunges: 40lb barbell walked down long hallway Probably 10 each leg,2 sets

2 sets of 30 lb barbell lunges, someone else took the 40lb one

 

seated leg extentions & seated leg press I did 3-4 sets of each and hovered around 60lbs, tried a few reps at 90, but went back to 60ish

 

calf raises 80-100 for 4 sets I think- there was a standing calf raise that I did while Robert used another calf machine, did first set on that but not sure of weight

[thendanisays]

you should post those numbers more often! i had no idea you wer ethat strong from reading this journal before. i am thouroughly impressed! keep it up! i love seeing the women lift heavy!

[hsorlando]

I had no idea I was that strong either lol. For the past year I've just been taking group exercise classes with an occasional workout in the weight rooms. And like I've posted before in the classes you use lighter weights and go for much higher reps for about 5 minutes for each body part. The heaviest weights they have are 15lb dumbells, well actually you can load the barbells quite heavy. On a side note I don't feel that bad today after my workout. I think I may feel it more tomorrow, I do feel it a bit in the glutes today though.

[hsorlando]

Tonight I trained the back with Robert. And because I seem to have an addiction to this website lol I am posting about it now instead of sleeping and getting ready for tomorrow.

 

Weights used ranged from 50-70lbs and from 8-12 reps & 4 sets

 

lat pulldowns

some unilateral rows- when I got tired of doing pulldowns

cable row machine

deadlifts- used 40lb barbell for 4 sets of about 10 a set

isolateral row machine(hammerstrength I love these machines)60lbs3 sets

 

I always feel that I'm not at the gym long enough for back but I was there about an hour. I guess I'm more worn out after doing a leg day, but I go as heavy as I can for back so I know I'm doing my best.

[Dawgbert]

Awesome job! You are definitely very faithful to all of your classes and routines which is cool and I was also impressed with your posted numbers. Keep up the great work.

 

Oh and on a sidenote the outdoor track at your gym sounds really nice, but I guess you need to live somewhere warm like Orlando to enjoy that. Here with temps generally in the 50s and overcast/rainy days often it is not as useful. Although I must admit the summers here are perfect.

 

Anyway, great job!

[Lean and Green]

Hsorlando, yea girl! I also am happy to hear of these poundages and exercises and based on what you said you do not usually perform exercises in the gym with iron and lower rep ranges as compared to your normal classes.

 

Sounds like someone might be interested in switching things up a lil bit. Must have felt great to do all that work with the weights and see just how far you've come from all the training right?

 

Keep on up with all the exercises in the gym when you can, your body will welcome the change.

[hsorlando]

Thanks l&g. Today we finally got to the gym again. We were going to go yesterday, but the gym closed early. Anyway today we trained biceps, and triceps. But for some weird reason my triceps have been really sore, I'm thinking it was from setting up the booth in a hurry on Friday. So today after the expo closed and we broke down the booth we were ready to work. I'm a bit upset about how much weight I used, but I guess it was alright. I ranged between 20, which was a medium weight, and 30lbs which I couldn't do too many of. My workout went something like this.

warmup light bicep curls (a lot), and stretching

Bicep curls: 20lb barbell-15reps, 30lb bb 8, did about 4 sets I think

triceps pushdowns: (standing) about 30lbs 8 reps 3 or 4 sets

hammer curls: 15lb free weights 3 sets about 10 each set

tricep extentions ( skullcrushers) started with 20lb barbell, but switched to 30 lb bb) 3 sets 10

also did a few tricep pullovers on bench, and some tricep presses

finished with some bicep curls on machine I was so tired only got about two sets in and not very good sets either

[hsorlando]

Trained chest this afternoon. It was also my last workout with Robert, it's been fun! Anyway I felt that I started not that great, but at the end I was benching between 45-55pounds. Now let'ssee if I can remember what I did.

Warmup: stretching

chest press machine( not sure exactly what it was called but it was fun )

3 or 4 sets about ten reps each time and I think I started with 20 pounds then upped it to 30

dumbell flyes(flat bench) 15lbs 3 sets 10 reps

bench press (dumbbells) 15lbs 15reps, 3 sets at 20lbs and 10 reps about

incline bench w/barbell no added weights 45lbs 3 sets of about 8

also did some pushups on knees

seated chest press machine 3 sets ranged from 45-55lbs I think

[robert]

I think you are quite strong. I know you could have done 360 lbs on the leg press too....you were tossing around 270 like it was EASY! Great workouts this week and thanks for showing me around, taking photos, posing with me, answering all my questions about the area, etc.

 

You're a great tour guide and I really appreciate your friendliness and consideration of others.

 

Have fun and catch up with you again soon!

[hsorlando]

Ha, 270 easy! I could barely press it with the help of my arms, but thanks for the vote of confidence. I seem to need it lately for some reason.

 

Today I got back to my normal routine. I wasn't sure what to expect when I went for a run with my small group. But I survived the two mile run, because of the heat, and not being used to it I stopped to get some water. Then I ran for another two miles,and cooled down for half a mile. So in all I managed 4.5 miles in the heat. Hopefully it will get somewhat easier to run in this weather, so I can go further.

[hsorlando]

I forgot to mention that I got called in for a second interview at the YMCA for the Wellness position. I'm hoping it's just a formality and that I've pretty much got the job, but I'll see what it's about Thursday morning.