In her book “First Marathons,” world-class runner Grete Waitz wrote, “I prefer to train in the dark, cold winter months when it takes a stern attitude to get out of bed before dawn and head out the door to below-freezing weather conditions. Anyone can run on a nice, warm, brisk day.”
With those words, Waitz captured the difference between winners and also-rans. Winners run when they must, no matter what the conditions. Also-rans run when they feel like it, when the conditions favor them.
What a pleasure it was, then, to see my friend and fellow coach Jeff Stiefbold use Waitz’s quote and mention me in a recent Facebook post. Jeff knows about winning. When he’s not training championship volleyball teams, he’s taking top-level nature shots.
I don’t know much about photography, but it’s clear that Jeff uses great patience and attention to detail in his work. It’s likely something he learned from his father, who was a renowned coach in his own right.
Anyone can take a picture. But not everyone can go out on a cold, dark day, waiting patiently for the right image to present itself. That is what Jeff does. It’s obvious in his pictures. For every beautiful image he produces, there’s hours spent in preparation and study.
So if the weather is cold and dark where you are today, it’s the perfect time to train the way champions do!

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