More from the Fairview 5K

Did I mention they gave free race photos?

She's flying! 

She's skipping 

She really does make this look too easy 

Fairview 5K

Sweet Daughter loves running so here we are doing another 5K. The race gave free photos but they are out of order.

About to cross the finish line! 

Hey look, I finished also 

 They gave us cupcakes, bananas, chocolate milk, and water then we posed for a photo.

 

She knows how to spot a photographer on the race course! 

 She always looks right at them to make sure they don't miss her, haha.

Sweet Daugher's First 5K

On Saturday Sweet Daughter ran her first 5K with me. It was a Mother's Day race which was awesome! She all out sprinted as fast as she could for 1.5 miles. Then she wanted to walk the rest of the way.

Before the race 

(friend in side of picture is not one of the ones mentioned in the next paragraph)

 About the time I convinced her to run again she saw friends from school cheating - riding in a stroller or cutting a mile off the course (we saw both). Sweet Daughter said she didn't want to run if no one else was going to do it right. Both of those girls finished before her and that frustrated Sweet Daughter. I can't blame her. It frustrated me also. It gave us the perfect opportunity to discuss why we don't cut corners (literally or figuratively) and what really makes someone a winner.

The boys cheered us on - and ended up in the local paper

It's a sprint or a slow walk - nothing in between

Post race with our medals and flowers

They had the energy to jump for another 30 minutes.

The daily goal is to wear them out.

New Year's Day Run

Ok, so to finish off last year, I ran a 5K followed by a half marathon. Why not start the new year off the same way? (If anyone needs an answer to that I have about 100.) That's right, I had agreed to do a double double. 4 races in 2 days. Remember me complaining about the cold weather yesterday? Yeah, it got colder. The wind wasn't as strong, but now it was literally freezing and there was now freezing rain.

This was quite possibly the dumbest thing I ever did. They were telling people to stay off the roads because they were icy. I drove there and freaking ran 16.2 miles. Ok, ran isn't the right word, but I did complete the distance. I was already slightly sore from the day before. I did wear much warmer clothing that I thought was water proof. Turns out water resistant is pointless in this situation.

My phone died because it doesn't like being cold. I had a camelbak with water, but it froze during the 5K, so I didn't bother carrying it during the half marathon. The last thing I needed was a giant ice cube on my back that I couldn't get water out of. My family, not knowing exactly when I would finish assumed it would be only slightly longer than the day before... Um... not so much.

While waiting on me, the kid played on the playground.

Yar! (See the icicles starting to form on the metal bars?)

Ahoy!

They are in their ski clothes and had the entire playground to themselves. I mean who else would be out in this weather?

Wonderful Husband took this photo of me headed toward the finish line. I'm soaked all the way through. I'm freezing. I'm not about to start running. I just want to be warm. 

In the end, I did it. I shouldn't have. It wasn't safe - no one wants to hear "watch for ice on the bridge" you are running across.  After crossing the finish line, I got my medal, a frozen banana, and a frozen protein bar. Wonderful Husband had to help me into the back of the car because it hurt so much to move - everything was cold and wet. It took a long time to warm up (in the back of the car after changing into dry clothes) before I could drive home.

This is the entire medal. It's actually 4 medals that fit on the giant challenge plate. The top left mermaid is the Eve half. The top right bird is the eve 5K. The bottom left bird is the day 5K. The bottom right heart is the day half. The entire thing is huge and heavy. I earned it. I will also never do that again.

See this photo? This is the only photo the professional photographers got of me on New Year's Day. Apparently freezing rain isn't good for cameras so they didn't have any out on the course. I do want to give huge credit to the volunteers and organizers. Every aid station was stocked. The volunteers were out there cheering us on even though they were just as cold and wet as we were. The police kept the roads blocked off and us safe. They handed out warming blankets at the end. The volunteers and organizers were smiling and doing everything they could do make this a great race despite the awful weather. While I won't do the double double again. I will be doing the double 5K's - this time with Sweet Daughter. :)

New Year's Eve Run

So normal people don't run. The people who do run usually do it for health, fitness, weight loss, exercise, or any other perfectly valid reason. If you have been reading my blog for a few years, you might remember why I started running. It would take neuroscience to finally make me run.

So for new year's eve I ran a double. I started with a 5K and then slightly later ran a half marathon. Only, it was cold. REALLY cold and windy (It ranged from 32-36F degrees that day with gusts of wind up to 18mph - that's 0-2C for those  not in the US). Here are some photos:

Finishing the 5K

Out running the half marathon

A bonus 5K photo from on the trail.

What is the only thing worse than running a 5K followed by a half marathon? Doing it again the next day. Come back tomorrow for that post.

The importance of working memory

As I mentioned in the executive function post, working memory is extremely important. Working memory is the best predictor of school success. It is both academic and social. So, what else do we know about working memory?

High IQ does not equal high working memory. The opposite is also true, high working memory doesn't equal high IQ. While most IQ tests are sensitive to socioeconomic status (SES), working memory is not. For example, one section of most IQ tests for children is on general knowledge. If you ask a child "What is a police officer?" the correct answer would be something along the lines of "someone who helps people." An incorrect answer would be "someone who takes my Daddy away." Clearly this is measuring experience, not intelligence.


There are ways to improve working memory. It all starts with diet and exercise. I've address the importance of exercise on the brain already. So which foods are best to include in your diet? Dairy, berries, herbs, and foods with omega3 and dha have all been proven beneficial specifically for working memory. Foods that will have a negative impact are processed and contain high amounts of sugar, fat, and chemicals. One Organic Mama was kind enough to write a guest post for me on healthy living.

Once you have addressed the diet and exercise components, the other way to improve working memory is through proprioception training. In fact, proprioception training for just one day shows and increase in working memory by 50% and it lasts many months. As with anything, the more you do it the better the results. Proprioception is the ability to sense the position, location, orientation, and movement of the body and its parts. Proprioception training is all about balance and body awareness. It includes things like walking on a balance beam with your eyes closed, jumping to a target with your eyes closed, crawling on a balance beam, and running.

Exercise and the Brain

I wrote about this topic more than a year ago, but I wanted to post again with the additional research.

The importance of physical exercise on your neurological health is fascinating to me, so when I'm attending a conference I tend to chose sessions that include this topic when possible. One of my favorite speakers is Dr. Kenneth Kosik. (You may notice I referred to his research in the post linked above also.) He does a lot of research on Alzheimer's and brain health. Here are some of the notes I wrote down from his session.

If you have more education and a more demanding job, it protects you against Alzheimer's.
Alzheimer's, heart attack, and stroke have many of the same risk factors.
Vascular blood vessels in the brain would be 500 miles long if stretched out.
Childhood cardiovascular health impacts the blood vessels in the brain.
70% of 40 year olds have affected blood vessels in the USA.
Children should not ever have more than 50g/day of sugar. (A juice box is 25g.)
Travel reduces risk of dementia, as does socializing, knitting, and gardening.
Biking, swimming, and golf don't reduce risk of dementia.
Dancing and playing instruments lowers dementia risk.
Cognitively, it's better to follow than to lead when dancing.

If you notice, taking care of your heart and physical health is obviously one of the most important factors in keeping your brain healthy. Nutrition and exercise reduce your risk of cardiovascular problems and mental problems. Trying things that are new and challenging, especially facing the unexpected (traveling, socializing), should be encouraged at all stages of life. I was disappointed that biking and swimming aren't more helpful since I enjoy those. I will continue to play instruments and encourage my kids to do so. I dance like a white girl with two left feet, so I will avoid that one for now. haha

I also attended a lecture by Dr. John Ratey (Harvard Medical School). He shared how humans are de-evolving. We sit in front of screens hunched over and it's making us much worse off. He is a big proponent of the FitDesk if you have to do computer work. Here are some of my notes from his speech.

It's better to wear out your body and mind than to rust.
Running will get you results in half the time of walking.
To add 3 years to your life run 100 min/week or walk 200 min/week.
Running is the best exercise for neurological health.
The computer offers hypernormal stimuli.
Fitness increases neurons and connectivity in the brain.
Exercise is as good as Zoloft to treat depression.
Exercise is the equivalent of a little Prozac and a little Adderall.
Running increases your endocannabinoids. (like marijuana)
A PE teacher gave grades based on how long students' heart rates were in the target zone and there was an 83% drop in disciplan referrals.
Teachers should offer a time in instead of a time out (run, bike, etc) in order to turn the brain back on.
Improving cardio fitness improves IQ.
Strength training improves physical health, but not mental.

I should note here that I hate running, so hearing that was the best thing I could do for myself mentally was a major disappointment. However, it was also the push I needed. As I write this I'm in week 4 of a couch to 5k program. By the time this is published I hope to have completed it. I still hate running, but after seeing the evidence, I feel the need to run. I would love a FitDesk , but don't have the money or a place to put it. I like the idea of PE grades being based on something that everyone can achieve with effort.

So, has any of this information made you want to start exercising?

Playtime in Rome

We had planned on it taking us 3 full days to see everything in Rome. We ended up seeing everything we wanted and had a day left over. We did some quick research and found a local playground/park. The best part? This is an indoor/outdoor playground. It was free (we tried to pay and they wouldn't let us) and not crowded on a weekday.

This room had a play kitchen and other pretend type toys. There was also a large bookshelf with many different levels of books for kids to read. Granted, with only 2 exceptions, they were in Italian, but that's to be expected.

This room had tables that were chalkboards and many different colors of chalk around to draw with.

This was the favorite room for our kids. It was large (and had amazing ceilings). It was filled with cushions and pillows. Kids took off their shoes and rearranged the room multiple ways. Here my kids were in the process of making a path from the "couch" to the "lake" that they could walk on.

We did share the space with a few children, but I didn't take any photos of them. A couple of the kids were even bilingual English/Italian. It was nice to be able to talk to other parents about living in multiple countries.

 

This was part of the outdoor playground. These houses were just the right size though deciding which child got which house quickly became an argument. Luckily, a couple of Italian children came over and said something I couldn't hear and it was settled. I love how kids who don't speak the same language can work things out so easily.

 

Wooden sheep were also popular with my kids. I just thought they were cute.

This is where most of the kids spent their time playing. The tractor with a trailer was crowded the entire time we were there.

This was my favorite part of the playground. It took the kids a minute to figure out how it works, but once they did they loved the whistling playground.

Spanish Steps in Rome

The Spanish Steps in Rome are another typical tourist stop. The widest staircase in Europe, it has been featured in many movies and songs. The day we decided to visit, it was raining. We don't believe in letting a little rain slow us down.

There are 135 steps from bottom to top. Most adults seemed to need a break on the way up. However, there is a law preventing you from sitting on the steps (not that anyone was tempted in the rain).

Our kids climbed every single step themselves without ever asking to be carried or helped. I really think this may have been the perfect age to travel with them. They don't call them terrific two year olds for nothing!

 This is the halfway point. In May per tradition, they place pots of azalea's around the steps.

This is the view from the top. You can't even see all of those stairs you just climbed.

The kids loved that there was a perfect viewing area for them. We loved that they could see, but couldn't jump off and hurt themselves.

Birds in St. Mark's Square

In 2008, Venice banned the feeding of pigeons in St. Mark's square. This was done for the health of everyone as well as cleanliness factors. There are still quite a few birds hanging out hoping some of the tourists didn't get the message.

 We were sitting on a curb eating lunch and when they finished the kids wanted to go chase the birds. Clearly, they had energy so we let them. In this photo you can see the pigeon at the top flying away from the two year olds chasing it.

The kids found groups of pigeons and for some reason these pigeons decided to run away rather than fly. That just made the game more fun!

 

O.k. pigeons, new game plan - run in different directions. Hmmm, these children just won't give up!

I've never seen a look of clear panic on a bird before. However, deciding which way to go can be challenging. Two year olds on one side, a building on the second side, a large dog on the third side, and a group of people eating lunch on the fourth side. The bird whipped it's head around a couple of times and flew straight up.

Walking Around Venice

Yesterday, I posted about the many bridges in Venice. Today's post is all about the walking. We would set out after breakfast and walk all day. We would usually eat lunch sitting on a bench or curb and eat dinner at a restaurant. Other than that we were on the go all day. My kids are troupers. They would happily walk for 8-9 hours without complaint or asking to be carried.

 The kids loved exploring "tunnels" or what the locals call walkways.

We did pick the kids up for photos. Sweet son isn't happy about being carried. He would rather be walking.

 

This was toward the end of the day. The kids ask if they could sit to watch some boats. Then we walked for another hour before dinner and bed time.

The more of a "tourist" place we visited, the more we required them to hold our hands when walking. We ended up in some big crowds a few times.

She will always smile for a camera, even if she did demand to get down immediately after.

 

A family photo with tour groups in the background.

Mama, can we ride a lion? (I'm holding her on the back.)

One child smiling for the camera while the other doesn't understand why he can't look at the gondolas instead.

There's a happy kid! Clearly we aren't in a tourist area (lack of crowds) and we had just finished watching the garbage boat go by, so he's thrilled.

For a couple of two year olds they did wonderfully. They also slept REALLY well at night. For kids who normally would sleep 12 hours at night and take a 2.5hr nap, on vacation they would sleep about 13 hours at night. After a few days of that, we would schedule a day with a nap just so they weren't crazy sleep deprived children.