Until recently, RunTuff was the personal website of Steve Perks, who allowed me to usurp it for my coaching services at the suggestion of Josh Perks. I am very thankful for this, as I did not have to worry about coming up with a clever name or going through all the trouble of getting a website up and running. A few weeks ago, Josh re-organized his websites and handed over RunTuff.com to me after archiving Read more…
The four of you who read this blog may remember that last year I ended my streak of running the Utica Boilermaker 15K in under an hour by logging a 1:01:24. This marked the first time in 17 years that I hadn’t gone under 60 minutes, but was not unexpected given my lack of training in the nine months leading up to the race. This year, I have actually been able to train fairly well, Read more…
While out on an easy jog the other day, I found myself reliving some of my favorite races. Of course, my proudest personal bests were in there: my 16:00 5K and my 2:39 marathon especially, but I found myself reminiscing about one particular race that truly altered my path in life, much more than any personal best or victory. The year was 2011. Ashlie and I had just gotten married the year before, and I Read more…
By Avery Roberts (age 7) Climate change means that the earth is getting warmer. Burning coal and gas can cause climate change by letting out extra carbon dioxide into the air. Carbon dioxide warms the earth. One way we can tell it’s happening is there is less snow in winter. Flowers bloom sooner and less birds fly south for winter. If it keeps getting warmer, there could be floods and terrible storms. To help the Read more…
This year did not start out auspiciously for me. After last year’s Boilermaker, a stubborn hip injury, coupled with some plantar fasciitis and a bout of COVID, kept me from getting any sort of training in. Luckily, sometime during the summer, my hip improved and I was able to start cautiously training. While my volume and intensity were still nowhere near what I used to do, I was able to build up to 35 miles Read more…
Besides my usual Boilermaker report a few months ago, this site has been largely on the back burner the past few years. The reason for this are myriad: I’ve been busy with my job, with raising three kids, and struggling with my own wavering commitment to running. The one thing I have been really striving for lately is balance, and I am discovering that finding balance is more challenging than it sounds. Several years ago, Read more…
My 22nd running the Utica Boilermaker 15K has come and gone, and as is my tradition, I wanted to write down some of thoughts about the race. For those of you keeping track, this year was the 17th year I was gunning for under an hour. A while ago I had decided to go after Paul Humphrey’s record of 23 consecutive races under an hour, and had done so ever since 2005, despite injuries, emergency Read more…
Having kids, and trying to educate them about the world, has led me to realize something about myself: I am fantastically literal. If you had asked me this years ago, I would have scoffed and told you that of course I am not literal; rather, I tend towards the sarcastic and absurd. Being literal is for chumps. But one of the great things about children is that they have this amazing sense of wonder about Read more…
Last year, I found myself in a bit of a slump when it came to running. All of my personal bests are behind me and receding quickly into the distance, and the lack of races and my preference not to run with anybody as the COVID numbers rose made it hard for me to find motivation to get out the door and train. Plus, I’ve been feeling the cumulative effects of all the mileage I’ve Read more…
As everyone knows, running is a metaphor for life. Hard work always pays off, humility is beneficial, and while uphill battles are challenging, the view from the top makes it worthwhile. So it may come as no surprise to my four readers that your favorite workout says a lot about who you are as both an athlete and a person. Read on to see what yours infers! 400 Repeats: You are a sick and twisted Read more…
Lately, I noticed a disturbing trend regarding my social media usage. While I have never been one to obsessively check Facebook or Twitter, and even had set time limits for those apps on my phone, I noticed that I was checking them several times a day, and feeling more and more angry, stressed, and worst of all, judgmental while scrolling. It wasn’t providing any useful benefit, but was detracting from my state of mind. I Read more…