Running: A FEVER

It's part 6 of our series on Menopause. Today we're closing out our series with something bold, beautiful, and deeply personal: reclaiming power. Menopause is often framed as an ending — the end of fertility, the end of youth, the end of vitality. But what if it's actually a beginning? What if this transition is an invitation to rewrite your story, rediscover your voice, and realign with what truly matters? In this episode, we're flipping the script. You'll hear stories of reinvention, creativity, and courage. We'll talk about how menopause can spark new purpose, new passions, and even new careers. Because this isn't about fading — it's about evolving. So whether you're in the thick of it, just beginning, or looking back with wisdom — this episode is for you. Let's reclaim the narrative. Let's reclaim our power. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/431  

It's our birthday! Believe it or not, we've been running a fever for eight years now. And this episode is the first of our ninth year. Yes, the anniversary date is two days ago, November 17. Back in 2017, we started with literally a walk in the park. Four hundred thirty episodes later, we can look back on a wealth of information and the sharing of my health journey over the long term. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/430  

Menopause isn't just a hormonal shift — for active women, it can feel like the body's playbook has been rewritten mid‑game. Endurance that once came easily may fade faster, recovery can take longer, and the fuel that used to power a run might suddenly fall short. But this isn't the end of the race — it's a new course to master. In this 4th episode of our series on menopause, we'll explore how midlife changes in metabolism, muscle repair, and energy balance affect training, and how smart adjustments in workouts, nutrition, and hydration can help you stay strong. We'll also discuss how physical activity can actually help women adjust to the changes and ameliorate their symptoms. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/429  

What if one day you woke up and felt like a stranger in your own body—but no one ever warned you it could happen? We're in the middle of a series on menopause. In the last episode, we discussed the emotional and mental impact and how it works in the brain and body, and shared some stories from real people on the issue. This time we're talking about an even more taboo subject: andopause, sometimes called male menopause. I think we'll get some insight on this. It's not just a medical phenomenon but a cultural blind spot. Let's start again with some true stories: Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/428

In this episode, we'll again hear from some real people. And we're going into the emotional and mental aspects. How does menopause, and specifically the reduction in estrogen, affect one's mental health and emotional well-being? We'll go into some science, we'll talk about how it feels and why, and we'll offer some coping strategies that may help you or your loved one get through the change in one piece. Finally, I have a striking story that illustrates just how profound the mental effects can be on a person. But first, let's hear some relations of real experience with this. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/427  

Today, we're launching a new series that delves into a topic often whispered about, misunderstood, or overlooked: menopause. Whether you're going through it, know someone who is, or think it's decades away—this conversation is for you. Because menopause isn't just a medical milestone. It's a transformation. A reckoning. A rebirth. In this series, we'll explore the emotional and mental terrain of menopause, the physical shifts that challenge even the most seasoned athletes, and yes—we'll talk about male menopause too. You'll hear stories from real people, insights from experts, and strategies for thriving through the change. So lace up. This isn't just about hormones—it's about power, identity, and the endurance to keep running through every chapter of life. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/426  

Speaking of livin' long. Well, you now know that this episode is about Sarah Knauss, the third-longest-lived person ever. You may be aware that I previously published an episode about her, number 169, in 2019. If you'd like to check it out, you can visit RunningAFEVER.com/169, but you don't have to, as I'll recap what we covered in that episode here. I'm doing another episode for the same reason I did a 2nd episode on Jeanne Calment. There is now more information available, and I wanted to publish an update to share it with you. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/425  

I haven't been watching it lately, but I enjoy a YouTube show called That Pedal Show, which is ostensibly about guitar effects pedals but actually delves into a variety of music-related topics, including classic guitars, playing techniques, and genres of music. They often feature guest musicians representing various genres, as well as other guests who are involved in the guitar and effects industry. One of the co-hosts has an interest in philosophy and is seeking to improve his life, mental health, and overall happiness. On the show, he recommended a book by Japanese philosopher Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga, a professional writer. The title is The Courage To Be Disliked: How to free yourself, change your life, and achieve real happiness. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/424 Photo by Aboodi Vesakaran: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-reading-the-courage-to-be-disliked-outdoors-29378821/  

Recently, I started hearing about probiotics. How I heard about them was through some advertisements, probably on YouTube or Amazon Prime. A particular actress, Maggie Q, was promoting them. Maggie Q is known for playing the lead role in the action/spy TV series Nikita. She's also currently playing LAPD detective Renee Ballard in the Amazon Prime series Ballard, based on the novels of Michael Connelly. Q founded a company called ActivatedYou. They sell a wide variety of supplements, many of which focus on digestive health, including at least two probiotic products. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/423 Image by Alicia Harper https://pixabay.com/users/alicia_harper-16897639/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=5308379  

But what I'm here to talk about today is something I've just discovered. There is a company called TruDiagnostic offering what they call TruAge Test, which is a DNA testing kit and subsequent analysis providing several insights based on your DNA analysis. They have at least two competitors as well. DoNotAge.org has what they call "the Biological Age Test Kit". And My Aging Tests calls theirs GrimAge. My Aging Tests also offers a PhenoAge test, which is similar to these, but uses a blood test. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/422  

It's a beautiful day at Lake Fayetteville. I'm back at Lake Fayetteville for the first time in a while. I have been on the Spring Creek trails for a while. Half of that is still blocked off due to construction. It looks like the construction is coming to a close. It's very strange. The episode where I gave the YouTube viewers a look at the construction is very popular on YouTube. I believe that was a short video. Part of a longer video. But it was always just like a big hole in the ground. They built all kinds of things inside the hole. And then very recently, they have covered it over with dirt. So there's just a bunch of dirt on top of the hole. It doesn't look like they are going to build anything on top of that, but I don't know. They do have a small structure. I don't know what it's for. I guess it's access for some maintenance or control of whatever they have there. It's been interesting. Someone has said it's something related to water. Somebody asked somebody else about that. I don't know. We will see what happens at the weird construction site in my subdivision. Right next to the Spring Creek trail. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/421  

If you're watching on YouTube, you can see just how beautiful the view is right from my cabin that I just walked out of. Nice people. When I woke up this morning, I wasn't planning to go hiking today. The story of that goes back a few days, when I got here, and even before I got here. It looked like the weather was going to be bad. I had only Tuesday and Wednesday morning to hike, and it was going to turn bad Wednesday night. Then, there was going to be rain on Thursday and Friday mornings. I usually like to go hiking in the morning. It's currently afternoon. I'm going to try to go out for an hour, and then come back for an hour. There's a nice little stream here. The first two days were as they said, overcast. And if you've seen or listened to the last two episodes, you know that I went on the Bench Trail.  Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/420  

Bench Road Trail today, again. Welcome to Running: A FEVER. Here we are, it's the last day of April 2025, and we're southbound on the Bench Road Trail from the parking area. I don't know what they call the parking area. But it's a parking area just south of the Bench Overlook, which is beautiful. I got some good shots of that yesterday and texted them out to a few people. So today we're going south. I suppose the Bench Road Trail, with its continuous trail, technically goes across the road there, because the only thing between the two points is a road. And this is actually on the other side of the road. Which makes sense, at some point the access road, which is highway 155, has to cross the Bench Road Trail if it's a continuous trail, and that's where it does. So we're on the other side of the road on the Bench Road Trail. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/419  

It's about 7:40 in the morning. Tuesday, I believe it is April 9th, 2025. It's a beautiful day here at Mt. Nebo State Park. I got in here yesterday between three and four as I usually do. They have a check-in time at four. So I've already encountered my first person on the trail. I didn't expect it to be as quiet as it usually is in the winter when I'm here. But they let me in as they usually do when the cabin has already been prepared which it usually has. Not so when I went to Mt. Magazine last time. I got in, settled down, just looked around. Didn't do any hiking yesterday. I was going to do an episode from the cabin. And last episode you heard about what that was going to be. It actually turned out that I did a long tour of the cabin. But I didn't record myself because I forgot my tripod. So I couldn't do that like I did with cabin 13 at Mt. Magazine last time. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/418  

I have just arrived at Mt. Nebo. This is my first day of my first trip to this state park in Arkansas for 2025, and possibly my last. I don't know if I'll be coming back this year. I will likely return at some point in the future. I thought this time, since I haven't done it before, I would give you a tour of what has been my favorite cabin to stay in here, because it is the most isolated. Now there is a cabin off to the left, or the north side of this cabin, but on the other side is just woods. This yard area is where, in the past, I have seen, because they usually come in the wintertime, lots of deer. As many as I think nine, maybe even twelve. I've seen a lot of deer at once. There you see the other cabin off on the north side. This late in the year, I'm not sure if I'll see any deer or not. It's the last week of April, the first week of May. The first time I came here, it was in a different cabin, in April, but I think it was earlier in the month. 2019 was my first visit to Mt. Nebo, six years ago. And I think this is my seventh time here. I've enjoyed it. I've stayed in several cabins here; this is my favorite. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/417  

Sometimes it seems like I just have to have dessert with every meal. I immediately want something sweet after I finish my main course. I wonder if it's habit, but it seems to happen even when I haven't done it in a while. It seems to be just a part of eating. Now, if I'm able to wait a little while, the craving usually passes. We've all heard that it takes a long time for the stomach to tell our brains that it is satisfied. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/416  

It's been a while since I last visited Devil's Den. This state park is probably one of the closest, if not the closest to where I live. I'm here with my friend Robert, who has lived here all his life, so I feel comfortable that he'll guide me through this okay. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/415  

Here we are at Davidsonville Historic State Park, near Pocahontas, Arkansas. I am here on my "daycation," which is like a vacation with day trips. And I decided to come all the way out to Davidsonville. It's a historic town, what used to be a town. It was donated back in 1957 by a man named Davis, and there was another person who owned part of the town, but Davis owned most of it. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/414  

On June 4, 2021, the FDA approved Wegovy for the treatment of chronic obesity and overweight individuals. Dr. John Sharretts, deputy director of the Division of Diabetes, Lipid Disorders, and Obesity in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said, "Today's approval offers adults with obesity or overweight a beneficial new treatment option to incorporate into a weight management program. FDA remains committed to facilitating the development and approval of additional safe and effective therapies for adults with obesity or overweight." Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/413 Photo by Pavel Danilyuk: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-in-white-mesh-crop-top-and-pink-bra-7653700/

Have you heard the hype about plant-based diets? I'm not sure when the word vegetarian went out of style. But now it's plant-based, so I guess I'd better get used to it. There are a number of reasons people go to a plant-based diet. But I think what's on all our minds is the health benefits. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/412 Photo by Polina Tankilevitch: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-red-pepper-beside-pickles-3872406/