WWW.CITYGATENETWORK.ORG MARCH/APRIL 2019 41 I have been a runner since high school. I ran on the track team and did cross country. During my time in the Marine Corps I continued to run. To get 100 percent on the physical fitness test it was necessary to run three miles in 18 minutes. I trained and trained and was able to hit that mark. I ran competitively on the base crosscountry team as well doing 10K races. Throughout college and even after that I continued to run almost daily. Now my challenge is to run 5K races in less than 26 minutes and to try and finish in the top 10 percent. I can pretty well achieve that, though my time has begun to slow down. But I run almost every day to stay in shape and to train for the next race. Running, like any sport, takes practice and training. You can’t get out of bed one day and say, “I think I will run a marathon today” with any hopes of actually finishing that grueling 26mile task. It would be ludicrous to even think so. There are no short cuts and no miracle training plans that take zero work and effort. In short, if you want to be good at running—or at any worthwhile endeavor—it takes a commitment. There are no quick fixes. by Christopher J. Doyle QUICK FIX