As if we needed another good reason to exercise, recent research shows that a regular jog leads to the growth of new cells in that area of the brain which boosts your memory.

With all the scary stories in the media concerning the growing risk of Alzheimer’s or senility as we age, it has to be good news that something we all love doing is also working to protect our minds and personalities as we age.

Since a great many of the participants in local road races are in their 40s and 50s, this news is even more welcome.

Now it’s not completely clear why aerobic exercise triggers this growth of extra grey cells, but it is probably linked to increased blood flow, or a greater release of hormones caused by this form of activity.

The study, by scientists from Cambridge University as well as the US National Institute on Ageing, was conducted on two groups of mice, one of which had unlimited access to a running wheel while the other did not.

After a few days, both sets of mice were put through a series of memory tests. Those mice which had been running were almost twice as successful as those in the non-training group.

The equivalent tests for humans might be something like trying to remember what you ate for dinner a few days ago, or where you parked your car last week when you went to the shops.

The running mice clocked up an average of 15 miles (24km) a day which sounds like some serious mileage for a mouse. However, this was done in self-selected segments in which the mouse can jump on the running wheel and pound out a few miles and then hop off for a quick feed and a short nap before repeating the action at various times during the day.

Here we should bear in mind that these mice don’t have to go to work for eight hours every day, nor spend another hour or more mired in traffic.

After the study, brain tissue taken from the rodents showed that the running mice had grown fresh brain cells during the experiment.

Seems that a few days of running leads to the growth of hundreds of thousands of new brain cells that improves the ability to recall memories.

Sounds like a win-win situation.

Marathon and M2S info

Foreign entries to the marathon and half marathon are coming in at a steady pace and even at this early stage the entries are higher than last year’s numbers at the same time.

If we remember that last year’s field was a significant record, it suggests that things are looking very positive so far.

Since I am confident that local entries will also be up this year, it looks like we’re in for another cracking event.

Keep up the training, especially since the weather is cooperating with a number of calm, sunny days this last week.

Christmas is coming and the geese are getting fat... you know the children’s nursery rhyme. And Christmas in Malta features that much-loved surviving queen of the traditional Maltese road races – Mdina to Spinola.

When it comes to M2S don’t forget that online registration is advised (go to maltamarathon. com) and that there will be a limit to race entries. Don’t leave it till the last minute and risk disappointment.

Final point; only online registered participants will be eligible for team and age-category prizes.

We have done this to enable us to process the award winners as fast as possible, so that the finish-line presentations can be held while most athletes are still available and have not got cold and gone home.

Please note this point very carefully if you expect to compete for an award and don’t complain on race-day that I didn’t warn you.

Let me repeat it so as we are very clear; only online registered participants will be eligible for team and age-category prizes.

Be careful out there and enjoy your training.

johnzwalsh@yahoo.com