Lately

The start of April means springtime has arrived in Chicago.  Warmer weather is upon us, and I think even in spite of our very mild winter, everyone in this city is still openly welcoming the return of spring.  It's quite a change to see people out and about; sitting at cafes with coffee, running along the lake, and sitting in parks reading.  I have to say that I love this time of year.

Since I haven't written in a while, I figure another photo chronicle will be best to catch everyone up.  So without further adieu . . . 

First, I would like to introduce you to our lab pet, Yin.  Yin is a one-of-a-kind genetically altered mouse.  It may be a little hard to tell from this photo, but Yin has white hair and black skin.  He's a few months old now, and loves the daily attention he gets from everyone that stops by the lab.

My friends Jim and Dan and I headed up to the Signature Room at the very top of the John Hancock Center for drinks one night.  Needless to say, the view from 1,000 feet above the street was breathtaking.  We didn't stay long, Budweiser was $7/bottle and that wasn't in our price range!

I can never manage to be proactive when it comes to studying, but here is my evidence that I do study.  I put off studying for an exam until the last minute, and maybe the only bright side was that I got to watch this beautiful sunrise from the library.  I took a study break to get this picture :p

As many of you know, St. Patrick's Day is a big deal in Chicago.  Being my first time in the Windy City for it, I managed to receive a gracious invitation from a friend to attend a party at Trump Tower.   A few of us guys (pictured below) spent a couple hours at a 44th floor condo.  I've never been (and don't expect to ever be again) in such a swanky place.  Above is the view out the window of the condo.

 The boys left to right: Adam, Rudy, Andrew, Jim, Dan

Here's the group I went out with for St. Patrick's Day.  We spent the day playing bean bag toss and drinking beers on my roof, walking around downtown, going out for sushi happy hour, and hitting up the bars later at night.  I think we all had one hell of a good time!

Naturally after the test I procrastinated for, I felt that we had to go out and celebrate.  Jim and I headed to one of my favorite places for a weeknight drink, The Roof at the Wit.  Located right in the loop, the bar has lot of outdoor patio seating overlooking the city.  We enjoyed a few cocktails, as well as the 80 degree weather on the patio.

I managed to get a few good runs and swims in this week.  I've been struggling lately with some tendon issues in my foot, that seem to be going away slowly.  Put in about 6 miles today on 5:55/mile pace and felt pretty good, though I wish I was running a bit faster at this point.

I've been more happy with my swimming as of late, doing my sets of 100 yard repeats on 1:20, about 10 seconds faster than where I was last year.  My most recent pool workout with my friend Baker was the following:

500 warm-up (200 swim, 150 kick, 150 pull)

1 x 100 hard (1:20 pace), 400 easy

2 x 100 hard, 300 easy

3 x 100 hard, 200 easy

4 x 100 hard, 100 easy

100 cool down

TOTAL: 2600 

Thinking of looking into doing an olympic or half triathlon this summer, but we'll see what happens with school and lab.

I hope spring has found itself out your way as well!

Cheers

Speed Work

I recently started adding speed work to my running workouts in the hopes of being more like Trav, though merely trying to play the part of the man's shadow is damn near impossible.  So, being the motivated individual I am, located a public 400m track in the heart of downtown Chicago.  Tonight marks day 3 of speedwork, and I have to say that I'm pretty happy so far with my efforts.  My last two workouts have been at the track and have been the following:

Monday's Workout:

1 mile warm-up with dynamic strechting

3 x 1 mile repeats on 5:40 (400 recovery jog between each)

6 x 200 on :40 (100 recovery jog between)

1 mile cool down

TOTAL: 6 miles

Tonight's Workout:

1 mile warm-up with dynamic stretching

3 mile Pace Interval, completed in 17:10 or 5:43 pace 400 recovery jog afterwards

2 x 600 on 2:00 (5:20 mile pace) with 200m recovery jog between

4 x 100 strides, walk recovery between

1 mile cool down

TOTAL: 6 miles

I need to adjust a little bit.  My mile repeats on Monday were supposed to be on 6:00, and tonight's 3 mile pace interval was supposed to be on 6:00 also.  I felt very good at the end of my 3 x 1 mile repeats, but was pretty gased after 3 straight miles on 5:43 tonight.  I was happy that every mile was on 5:43, so I didn't slow down for the last mile.  I'm hoping to drop my mile repeat pace just a bit, and also do my pace intervals closer to 5:50 so my pacing is more accurate.

It's very cool to run in the heart of downtown Chicago though, and what's more is there's almost no one on the track!  It's fun to watch the commuters while getting a solid workout in :)

Tonight, I'm having artichoke ravioli with pesto, a salad and maybe a glass of wine for my post work-out recovery.   Tomorrow's Friday, and to that, I say. . .

Cheers!

This Weekend...

So I had this idea last weekend, and I've decided to keep it going this weekend.  Every Saturday, I pick a quote, a song, and a word for my week ahead.  I do this on Saturday because I do my long runs on these days.  I am planning on running a 50k at the end of March, so today I am upping my mileage on my long run from 16 to 18 miles.  It's beautiful here today, and I can't wait to get out on Lakeshore Path after I make my run to Trader Joe's (not much gets done after an 18 mile run besides a nap and watching the Bull's).

My song this week is American Pie by Don McLean, great fun to run to!

A lot of people that I've met have asked:
   "Why do you want to run 50k?"
   "Why did you do Ironman?"
   "What is fun about running that far?"

...and the like.

I guess when I have to explain it, I feel like it won't be understood.  However, a quote out of Born to Run I think describes it best, and is my quote of the week:

“Suffering is humbling. It pays to know how to get your butt kicked.”


I would also add, it pays to know how to kick your own butt.  There are a lot of kids in graduate school that spend all day studying, in lab, devoted entirely to this process.  I have to say that I am not, nor do I want to be.  I think there is something to be said for maintaining balance in life, and was one of my goals for this new year.  So far, I feel pretty good about the balance I have achieved.


This week was a great week overall.  I was officially extended an invitation to complete my Ph.D. dissertation in my current lab, working under Dr. Le Poole, with my work in the area of immunotherapy for melanoma and LAM.  This is a decision that I will have to consider moving forward, but I am very excited of having the prospect of joining a lab that I have very much enjoyed.


I also set up my second rotation with Dr. John Callaci who works with the effects of alcohol on fracture repair in bones.  My project will deal with stem cell recruitment and signaling pathways during fracture repair, a subject that has not been very well studied yet.  I am also very excited about working in a completely different field in an area that is still very much a "black box" of fracture repair.


Off to run...hope you had a great week!


Cheers

The Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center

So I've been pretty busy lately with school related things, so instead of telling you all about what I've been up to, I figured I'd show you...

This is the building where the current lab I work in is located.  The building is the Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center on the Loyola Medical Center Campus.  This is my failed attempt to get a picture of the sign on the walkway over to the labs.  This building has the newest and nicest lab and treatment facilities on the medical campus (in my opinion).

 Another view of the Cancer Center, a view from the walkway pictured above, the first floor is all clinic area dedicated for patients that contains a cafe stand and even a hair salon...

The door to Dr. Caroline Le Poole's Lab.  Looks like we work with some crazy dangerous stuff doesn't it?  We don't most of the time, but most labs (anywhere) do contain bio-hazardous material, and do work with radioactive material from time to time.  I spend a good chunk of my time at school in here...

 So I managed to get a picture of Jon (the lab tech) pulling a rack out of the liquid nitrogen (LN2) tank, which I thought was probably one of the cooler looking things that we do.  I guess when I was a little kid I always pictured scientists with foaming beakers and all kinds of crazy smoking things.  So here you go, you can see the nitrogen vaporizing into gas on the counter!  Liquid nitrogen preserves cell lines (among other things) that we want to keep for long periods of time until we need them in an experiment.  LN2 is a very chilly - 200 degrees C (close to - 350 F)!

And here is everyone that is in the Le Poole Lab currently.  I stole this picture from our lab tech, Jon.  I hope he doesn't mind, but I'm sure I'll hear about it either way!  Front row left to right: Kyle (lab tech), Dr. Hee Kap (post-doc), Jeff (4th year Ph.D. student), Dave (Senior at Loyola undergrad, going to med-school in fall).  Back row left to right: Jon (lab tech), Dr. Le Poole (Principle Investigator, A.K.A. the boss), Adam (rotating 1st year Ph.D. student), Dr. Emily (fellow pulmonary M.D.).

Last night I went to dinner and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with the Loyola Graduate School.  These musicians are truly incredible.  It was very nice to get out for a night and hang out with some of my great friends I've made here!

Hope everyone is doing well and making it through winter.  We've had an incredibly mild winter in Chicago, I don't even think we've seen a day below zero yet!  Until my next post...

Cheers!

Food!

One of my good friends, Kaker, sent me a message the other day saying he was getting ready for a 5k race and wanted to know about some healthy food options to consider during his preparation.  So this post is dedicated to Kaker, hopefully I can give a little insight as to what I do on a typical daily basis to try and maintain a mostly healthy diet.

First of all, I have to mention that I am not a morning person.  Being that I need to be out my door no later than 7 on any given weekday morning, breakfast is typically one of the toughest meals for me to make sure I get in.  I think the morning rush is normal for most people, but I've found a way to make sure I eat in the morning because it really is the most important meal of the day.


BREAKFAST:

My breakfasts are pretty plain, but that's fine with me.  Here's the three things I cycle between in the AM:

- Oatmeal (I do maple and brown sugar version), sometimes I'll throw 2-3 tablespoons of canned pumpkin in for some extra flavor
- Hard boiled eggs.  I never have time to actually cook eggs in the morning (I don't want to get up earlier to cook eggs is really what I mean).  If I hard boil them, I just grab 2 out of the fridge and head out the door.
- Toast.  I usually throw just peanut butter on two pieces of toast, sometimes I'll put on honey or jelly.

Things I eat every morning:
One piece of fruit.  Usually its a banana, but lately it's been a clementine or tangerine.
1/2 cup of yogurt.  I like Greek Gods honey flavored greek yogurt.
Coffee.  You can infer why.

LUNCH:
Sometimes I eat meals at school if I'm out of food at home, but I try and make a big enough dinner the previous night that I take leftovers for lunch.

Typical Lunch:
Salad (Spinach, dried cranberries, walnuts, bleu cheese, balsamic vinaigrette)
Yogurt (low/no fat)
String Cheese
Sandwich or leftover dinner
Apple


DINNER

Dinner is another struggle for me.  I usually get home between 7 and 9 PM, and being exhausted from the day I don't want to spend 30 minutes cooking dinner.  What I try and do is have as much precooked as I can (for example, if I'm having rice as a part of dinner, I precook the rice on the weekend and keep it in my refrigerator so I don't have to wait for rice to cook when I get home).

Some typical dinners:

Ravioli 'n' veggies
Trader Joes has some kick ass packaged ravioli that I'll just throw some olive oil over (and maybe a little parmesan cheese).  Refrigerator section of most grocery stores has ravioli.  I'll also either steam or sautee some broccoli/cauliflower.  Glass of red wine to top it off.

Mexican Salad
In one pan, I'll throw rice, cilantro, black/pinto beans, peppers, onions, salsa, crumbled corn tortillas and cheese.  Really easy, quick and decently healthy.  You get your protein in the beans and a solid helping of veggies.

Stir Fry
Whatever veggies I have in my refrigerator with rice and teryaki stir fry sauce.  Goes well with beer.

Mac 'n' Cheese
Kaker, I eat mac 'n' cheese and  I love it.  If you want to add some minor benefits to it besides just being fat and carbs, you can throw in some spinach and black beans along with the cheese.  It's a great meal to eat the night before a run.

Pizza
If you make it at home, pizza can be something that actually pretty good for you.  Make your own crust, throw a bunch of veggies (I like green and red peppers, mushrooms, onion, zucchini/yellow squash, tomato, pineapple) and hold back on overloading with cheese and you've got another great pre-run meal that can last you several days!

SNACKS
There's no way I make it through my day without snacking.  I'm currently building my "snack" repertoire, but here's what I most commonly carry with me:

Nuts (almonds and pistachios are my favorites)
Hummus (really good with pretzels or wheat thins)
Peanut butter with pretzels
Apples
Carrots/broccoli
Granola bars/Cliff bars
String cheese

POST WORK-OUT

Eating within 30 minutes of completing a workout is really important.  Especially getting some protein (15-25 grams) so your muscles can start to recover.

Post-workout snacks
- PB&J/ PB & honey sandwich
- Chocolate milk
- String cheese
- Yogurt
- Smoothie/protein shake

I hope that gives you some ideas to get you started.  There a lot of places online that have great recipes that are healthy for you too!  I would recommend runnersworld.com, nomeatathlete.com, and traderjoes.com.  Good luck!

Cheers

Best of 2011!

My favorite time of the year is when I get to share all the best/coolest/most interesting things over the past year.  I think you get the game, so let's play...


Best of 2011...

Beer - Tom Johnson's Pumpkin Ale
Wine - Brother Bonarda, Wollersheim Winery
Purchase - Apartment in downtown Chicago
Moment - Getting the Ph.D. call
Movie - Inception
Song - After the Storm; Mumford and Sons
Album - Island in the Sun, Shwayze and Cisco
Artist - Mumford & Sons
Run - Along Lakeshore watching 15 foot swells
Bike - Up Grandad's Bluff
Swim - Loyola Pool smashfests with Baker
Place - Siesta Key Beach with the boys
Restaurant - Q
Food - Grilled BBQ pulled pork panini
Team - Packers
Athlete(s) - Raramuri
Book - Born to Run
Thing I learned - Balance, life is too short to work all the time
Game - Aggravation
Discovery - Amtrak (notably the lounge car with all the booze)
Accomplishment - Becoming a UWL Alumnus, BS in Bio-Medical Sciences and Chemistry Minor
Regret - Not doing a triathlon this year
Race - Hot Chocolate 15k
Most influential person - Jess
Car - Bugatti Veyron

2011 was great.  It brought a lot of changes for myself, my friends and my family.  I got to be a proud older brother when my sister accomplished her goal of landing an internship with Omni Hotels for this coming summer.  I got to make a whole bunch of new friends coming to Chicago for graduate school.  I'm looking forward to 2012 and hope to make it just as memorable.

Happy New Year
Cheers

Christkindlmarket, Tampa, Christmas

Damn, haven't posted in a long time!  I'm going to riffle through some updates (with pictures) quick...

Story #1 - Christkindlmarket

        Pictured below you'll see a German Christmas Market in downtown Chicago that I decided to walk through after my last final on December 12.  I had heard about this place, and being the good German that I am, couldn't resist the urge to go find some kick ass German beer.  My hopes of finding a tasty German brew were dashed when I realized all they served was Spaten.  I decided at that point that I had made the trip down, so I may as well enjoy an Optimator (which isn't horrible).  The lady poured my $7 beer, took my money (along with a piece of soul- $7 for a Spaten?!), and I threw a dollar in her tip jar.  The lady started ringing this cowbell, ecstatic that I had put a dollar in her tip jar.  Apparently, a small child had observed this lady going nuts over $1, and ran up with a dollar her mother had given her to put in the jar so the child could observe this outrageous display of dancing, hooting and hollering by the German beer woman.  In the midst of putting my change back into my wallet, I didn't notice the child standing right next to me.  I grabbed my beer to start walking, turned, and stopped dead to avoid running over this child, spilling approximately 1/4 of my beer all over this child's head (she had her hood up thank goodness!).  

"HEY!!!!!"  I heard the mother, and turned to see this stout woman waddling towards the beer stand with a look of fury in her eyes.  "YOU SPILLED BEER ALL OVER MY DAUGHTER!!"  

Shiiiiitttt....

"Listen, I'm really sorrry.  It was an accident, I was just trying to not run your daughter ov..."

"SHE'S ALL COVERED IN BEER!!!"

Damn, this lady was making a scene.  In the meantime, one of Santa's Helpers (security guard) came over to see what was going on.

"THIS MAN SPILLED BEER ALL OVER MY DAUGHTER!!!! BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH"

I said "listen, I'm really sorry, it was an accident.  If it's going to be this big of an issue, I'll just go."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea," the security man said.

I was shocked.  I had just paid $7 for a beer I hadn't even taken a sip of before being attacked by mama pig.  I put my beer down and left.  

Lessons learned:  First and foremost, don't pay $7 for a Spaten Optimator.  Second, pay attention to small children.  Lastly, if this ever happens again, I will pound my beer before I leave.

*Side note:  If you are ever in Chicago for Christmas, this is a VERY cool place to walk through!

Story #2 - Tampa

I had the pleasure of flying down to Tampa to visit my best friends, Reese and Trent.  I have to say, three days on the beach and in the sun couldn't have come at a better time.  We had perfect weather.  High was about 80 each day and rarely saw a cloud in the sky.  We pretty much just sat on the beach all day, drank Corona and Red Stripe, swam, and played volleyball.  At night we would go out and enjoy a few drinks.  We also became fixed to a show on Animal Planet called "Call of the Wildman."  My trip to Tampa made me realize that the friendships I have with these guys are unbreakable.  It will never matter how far apart we are or how long we go without seeing one another.  I feel so lucky to have friends like that, truly invaluable.  I can't wait until the next time we get together!

Siesta Key Beach - Rated #1 beach in the country

Story #3 - Christmas in Verona

I arrived home on the 19th, and should be hanging around until about the 29th.  This will be the longest period of time I've been home since . . . I don't even know when.  It has been really nice to be home and see my mother, father, and especially my sister.  The amount of times we are all together has grown slim over the last few years, and I have learned to cherish this time rather than avoid it.  Maybe it's part of growing up, maybe it's me missing home, but from what I know now, it's great that we're all here (happy and healthy) for Christmas.  Below is my Mom.  Looks like she's reading right?  Nope, sound asleep!  We've been eating, sleeping and playing games since I got home.  I've managed to get a couple good runs in on the trail and am looking forward to continuing the schedule we've had so far!  Hope you all travel safe, find happiness and joy during the holidays.

My best wishes to you and your families!  Happy Christmas Eve!

Cheers, love,
Adam