All about Coach Tief, and how he grew to love running.

First of all, I really didn't like running that much at the start. I just was pretty good at it. My brother was a year older than me in school and went out for cross country. I followed his path and went out for cross country my freshman year of high school.

When I joined the team, there was this kid named Troy Bolton (Not the High School Musical character. That was his name, I swear it.) I wanted to beat him so bad. He was a freshman that looked like he was 30. I never beat him because he got hurt halfway through the season, and then didn't come out for the team next year. But with him leaving, I was bumped up to varsity by the end of the year!

By then I was hooked on running. I ran track and cross country all four years in high school. I was a good high school runner. My CC team made it to state my Junior and Senior year. We placed 2nd at state both times. I also qualified individually for 1 mile my senior year in track.

This is a picture of me (on the far right) and my team after we set a school record in the 4x1600 meter relay.

Running in H.S. led to running in college. I wasn't great at CC in college, but I was good enough to be on the conference team. In track I never won an individual event, but I placed in the top 5 often. I loved the competition. I also loved being on a team. Runners just seemed like good people.

After I finished my education, my running career was over. I started coaching cross country at my old high school. This is where I met my wife. She was an assistant CC coach for the girls. I was an assistant on the guy's side. The season ended, and I asked if I was still going to see her. Two years later, we were married.

Because I liked coaching so much, I switched professions. At first, I was a radio station producer. It wasn't much fun so I got a teaching degree. Now I teach 6th grade and coach at the high school.

My wife doesn't coach with me anymore. I got a job in a different school district, and she stopped coaching to raise our three children. Basically, running helped me find my profession, and my wife. In a strange way, I owe my life to running.

I hope the tips I put on this website is a way of paying running back. Actually, this site has grown so large, that now I am making some good money off of the running programs I promote. I also have branched out and started some other websites including Paper Shredder Reviews. In a few years, my job might be working on this site and my other website adventures. Then I'll be free to make my own running schedule too.

If you have any comments, questions or suggestions about the website or your life as a runner, feel free to leave your suggestions here. Thanks for visiting, and I hope to hear from you soon.

- Written by David Tiefenthaler

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