Running: A Fever

Have you ever heard of the Trail of Tears? I've mentioned it a few times on the show, mainly because I see signs for it all around here. And the phrase is popular in the media. There are two state parks, a band, 3 albums, and 8 songs titled "Trail of Tears". Apparently, this part of the country was right in its path. But I never really knew exactly what it was about, except vaguely that it had something to do with displacing Indians from their land. Well, I finally dug in and found some answers about the Trail of Tears, and I'm going to give you as much as I can today, though it will probably not be all you need to know. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/451  

You know, we've been doing an annual episode on the ten longest-lived people ever for several years now, but it's always been just women. Men can't even make it into the top 25. In this episode, we're setting the girls aside for once and giving the boys a chance. Why do women live longer than men? I found a number of factors. And if you're listening, check out the video or the blog to see an infographic on the subject. By the way, videos are available on my channel at http://YouTube.com/@runningafever. And the blog post for this episode is available at http://RunningAFEVER.com/448.

My goal is to live a long, healthy, happy, active life right up to the very end, all about living long and loving life, and that's what I'm trying to do today. Starting off at the marina at Lake Fayetteville, I'm going to get a couple of beautiful winter shots of the lake. It's a rather brisk little wind, so the water's kind of choppy. It's very cold. The car said 25 degrees. However, the car has to equalize its temperature after being in the garage, because I keep it there. The garage was about 52 degrees today. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/449  

We may just be wandering around for a little bit here. Hopefully, I don't get lost. But if I do, that'll just mean more adventure for us today. Probably ought to go with someone who's more experienced here. Top of the mountain here, we call it that. They do call it that; it is about 1,800 feet above sea level. Yeah, I think I'm in the wrong parking area. There's supposed to be a playground next to it.   Read the full post at: http://RunningAFEVER.com/448  

For a long time, I've wanted to do an episode on the oldest people in history. And I'm not talking about the list I bring to you every year. That's just the ones that have undergone a rigorous verification process. To make that list, you have to be thoroughly investigated by the Gerontology Research Group, or Guinness World Records, or some such organization. I'm talking about people who claim longevity that don't make it, or haven't yet made it to that list.   Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/447  

Philosophy department, I suppose, is as good as any to describe this, but I'm thinking lately about you know, what to do. Let's say I was very wealthy. What would I do? And I think it's pretty obvious that, you know, most of it will be given away. Nobody needs a hundred million dollars, or however much it is. So the question is: how, what to do, and where to channel those resources appropriately. Of course, I've got some personal things and some charities that are very personal to me. Reat the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/446  

The lake is beautiful year-round. I think I've got, I don't know how many pictures I've got of the lake. I've got sunset, sunrise, full moon. I have all kinds of pictures of the lake, and they're all beautiful.   Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/445  

Well, it's a beautiful day at Lake Fayetteville, and I think it's about 77 degrees. No clouds in the sky whatsoever. I think this is pretty much the weather we had yesterday. I didn't really get out. I was working in the studio. Saturday, it rained a lot for the first time in quite a while. But today's very nice, and I'm walking on the shady south side of the Lake Fayetteville Trail. I'm going to go ahead and start now that I know how to use the fitness watch to track my walking. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/444   Image by Pexels from Pixabay: https://pixabay.com/users/pexels-2286921/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=1834990 https://pixabay.com//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=1834990    

So it kind of got me thinking, what big idea? Do I have a big idea that could impact society positively? I kind of think this podcast network, along with radio, can have a big impact. Maybe not on the entire Earth, or the entire universe, but maybe in the entire state. Maybe in a slice of the world, connected by the internet. I think it can make a difference. And I don't think it would take 100 million pounds or dollars to do that. There's that. I've also been reading about all the headaches that come with this wealth. Initially, I thought, well, it's really just going to make things a lot easier because you always have enough money.   Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/443  

And now it's time for the perennial favorite top 10 list of the oldest people ever. Living to be 100 is still very rare. According to World Population Review, in 2025, there were an estimated 573,000 to 630,000 centenarians worldwide, though estimates vary wildly, I can tell you. A centenarian is someone who is over 100 years old. The breakdown by country is interesting. Japan has the most, with 123,330. The U.S. is second, with far fewer, 73,629. Then China and India. It's interesting because these are absolute numbers, not per-capita numbers. You'd think China and India would be up there, and Japan is tiny in comparison. If you want to see the complete list, visit the reference links in the blog post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/442. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/442  

It's a beautiful day at Dean's Trail. We've had a couple of days of nice, relatively cool weather. Alexa weather before that had been very wrong for a few days to the tune of like 10 degrees off the highs. We would say it's 77 and it's actually gonna be wound up being 91 or something. So, But it's very nice today. 70 is nice. The breeze is cool. And I'm enjoying it. I get to work really, really early in the morning. I usually don't take a lunch break and I get off really early in the afternoon. Or, you know, let's just say at least early afternoon. Leaning towards mid-afternoon. Started this walk at 2:30 if that'll give you an idea.   Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/441  

If you're watching on YouTube, you're in for a treat today—you get to see me at my ugliest in living 4K video. My right eye is black and swollen. I know what you're thinking: Did I lose a fight? Am I being abused? Who would do this to me? I could say something like, "You should see the other guy." But in fact, the other guy is my doctor, and yes, he did this on purpose—with my full consent. I had surgery yesterday on my eyelid, and this is how you look after someone cuts part of your eyelid off. So, why would I go through such a thing?

I came across an article in National Geographic from a few months ago. It's called "The Secret to a Long, Healthy Life: Your lifespan is overrated. It's health span that really matters now." It's about longevity and what some people call health span. Health span, as opposed to lifespan, refers to the period of life when you are healthy. We all hope we won't end our lives in an extended illness or disability that impacts our quality of life, and, as I usually say in the opening, my goal is to live a long, healthy, happy, active life right up to the very end. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/439  

In the last few episodes, we've been talking about how our digital devices can affect our health. Today, we're continuing that in this, the fifth and final episode of the series. If the last few episodes have felt a little heavy—don't worry. This one's all about solutions. We're talking about how to reclaim your time, your focus, and your peace of mind in a world that's always online. From eye strain to endless scrolling, we're going to explore simple, science-backed strategies to help you reset your relationship with screens—without going off the grid. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/438  

Happy New Year! This is our first episode of 2026. I hope you had a great 2025 and are ready to accomplish great things this year. For me, it's always a moment of disbelief that another year has passed, seemingly so quickly, but I'm determined this year to pack everything good that I can into the stream of life.

Well, I'm out on the Spring Creek Trail, north side, today. And it looks pretty different from the last time here. The main difference is that the construction site is completely gone. I mean, the construction is gone, but the site, obviously, remains. It is very different. And no video today. One reason is that it's dark. But the trail is actually lighted now. It might have been for a while. It probably has, but I haven't been out here in a while. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/436  

So why is it fun to drive a car? Scientifically, I mean. The most apt word I can think of to describe the feeling of driving a fast car on a curvy road is exhilaration. Biologically, this is caused by a combination of neurotransmitters and hormones, primarily dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine (also known as adrenaline). These chemicals, when combined, create a feeling of joy, excitement, and increased alertness. Dopamine drives the reward system and is released in response to novel and exciting stimuli. Adrenaline and norepinephrine, on the other hand, prepare the body for action by increasing energy levels through a surge in heart rate, blood pressure, and blood flow to muscles. This neurochemical flood, triggered by events like risky play or falling in love, stimulates various brain systems to produce the psychological experience of intense, pleasurable excitement. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/435 Photo by Amy Patrick

We're in the middle of a series about Screentime and Your Health. And by the way, you can access the entire series on a YouTube playlist called Screentime and Health. You can find it on my channel at YouTube.com/@runningafever. We've already enlightened ourselves on two aspects of this topic: sedentary life and sleep effects. Today, we're moving on to how screen time affects our brains. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/434  

This series, "Screentime and Your Health," highlights the health risks of overusing electronic devices. I think I was previously unaware of the dangers involved. But I'm starting to get the picture. In the last episode, we discussed how excessive screen time can hinder our ability to lead an active life by making us more sedentary and decreasing our motivation to be physically active. This is part two of the series, focusing on the topic of "Screens vs. Sleep." Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/433  

As usual, when I'm finding topics for the show, I started hearing about how screen time should be limited and maybe we should all be wearing glasses that block out "blue light." Why? There are screens everywhere now. At work, you have at least one, maybe more, computer screens; I have three. Plus the smartphone, which goes everywhere with you. How about the TV you turn on when you get home from work? Even when working out, we have screens on our exercise bikes or treadmills that show us stats or video that lets us imagine we're outside somewhere, or let us watch the news while we sweat. Maybe your kids play video games for hours on end. Screens are everywhere, and we use them because we think they are helpful or entertaining. So they have just become a part of life. They are ubiquitous. However, if there is something unhealthy about them, it could impact our whole lives, and the impact could be significant. So I set about digging into this concept and trying to find out the real deal. Read the full post at: h