Jimmie Johnson Running Boston Marathon – Goal for Sub-3 Hours – Runner’s World

The weekend of April 13-15 will present one of the most challenging physical feats ever achieved by NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson.

On Saturday, April 13, Johnson will race the Toyota Owners 400 at the Richmond Raceway with a 7:30 p.m. start. Less than 48 hours later, the seven-time NASCAR champion will compete in an entirely different challenge when he lines up for his first 26.2-mile race at the Boston Marathon.

Inspired by the city’s “Boston Strong” response to the 2013 bombings at the finish line, Johnson knew on the day of the tragedy that he wanted to complete the oldest annual marathon at some point. One snag from making this happen is the typical NASCAR racing schedule. Knowing the rigors a NASCAR race has on his body—most of them taking place on Sundays—he knew at minimum he would need 24 hours of recovery time before he could really compete on Patriots’ Day (the third Monday of April in Massachusetts). But this year, the NASCAR schedule lined up perfectly with its Saturday-night race to allow him the chance to finally run Boston.

While April 15 will mark Johnson’s debut over 26.2, the race is far from his first endurance test. As Johnson continues to dominate on the race track, he also pushes his physical limits as an avid triathlete, cyclist, and runner. He regularly competes in Ironman triathlons—in 2015 he finished 15th overall at the HITS Naples half-iron distance triathlon despite getting lost. He is an ambassador for PeopleForBikes, an advocacy organization that raises awareness for cycling safety. And he has competed in several half marathons over the years, including his most recent performance at the Daytona Beach Half Marathon in February. (He ran a 1:34, which was good enough for 15th place.)

With the same committed enthusiasm that earned him legendary status on the race track, Johnson, 43, has devoted himself to the goal of running under three hours for his first marathon. In a conversation with Runner’s World about two weeks before the Boston Marathon, Johnson outlined his training for the distance, how he manages his NASCAR racing schedule with 80-mile running weeks, and the hill workout that he loves to hate during his prep for 26.2 miles.

Runner’s World: You have a great endurance base with driving, cycling, and triathlon experience. How has the transition to marathon training been so far?

Jimmie Johnson: It went well. I sensed that I could do the marathon at the end of last season. In the back of my mind, before I engaged with my coach and fully committed to it mentally, I just started to pick up some more running miles and less bike miles. I feel that was a nice way to take the pressure off and get my legs switched into running. As the volume did pick up, I ran into some issues along the way and I realized how difficult running is—the injuries, the recovery side, physical therapy. There’s a lot that goes into getting ready for a marathon, so my eyes are wide open in a sense. I’m so impressed with what people are doing at an elite level, what the weekend warriors do. It’s been quite a challenge.

What injuries have you experienced in your build-up?

I had a calf issue that set me back a handful of days. I had an SI (sacroiliac) joint issue and then I had a lingering IT (iliotibial) band issue that took about three weeks to clean up and make go away. Then I caught a cold probably two weeks ago and was out, so that was hard on the brain. At least with the other issues I could swim, I could pedal, do something to stay active, but the cold really wore on me mentally.

Are you feeling healthy now?

I feel really good, yes. I came off that cold and got an 80-mile week in last week and then a 65-mile week in this week. My speed and tempo runs have all been showing some pace, which is very encouraging. I ran 20 [miles] yesterday and finished really strong with it, so things are going the right way. Now that we’re pulling miles out this week, I can see that my body is responding well and feeling better. The pace is there, so I’m excited. I’m really looking forward to April 15.

Bryan Knox

Who is your coach?

I’ve been using a coach by the name of Jamey Yon. He is a former pro triathlete and pretty strong marathoner. I met him in the 2008 timeframe. I swam in high school, got into cycling, and ran a little here and there. I’ve always had an interest in triathlon. I did my first event, and the swim/bike went really well. The run went terrible, and I started looking for a coach. That’s when I found Jamey and started working with him.

I enjoy the structure of having a coach. He’s been a great person for me to work with. I’ve been getting ready for various distance triathlons, and really it’s just the accountability that a coach brings. I love it for my schedule and making sure that I’m as sharp as I can be for the car and when I gear up for an event, I have his knowledge to pull from as well.

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When did your training build-up begin?

I would say mid-November was when I put on my shoes and thought I could run Boston this year. I ran through some of November and December, and then in January I went to Jamey and said, “Alright, buddy, I think I can do Boston.” I think I returned from vacation on January 4 or 5 and that’s when I was full-time Boston focused. I think I’ve only been on my bike twice since then, so it’s been very much a running-focused start to the year.

What is your weekly mileage?

The most I’ve been able to do is 80, but each time I’ve been to 80, I’ve had an injury or my cold. My body and just where I’m at out on the journey, I think 80 is kind of my max. I was hopeful to get up to 100, but I just don’t have it this go around. I think we started with 50 mile weeks pretty early in the scheme of things and moved up to 80.

What does your daily routine look like?

Some weeks flow well, others not so much. First off, running in general has been much easier to prep for than needing to find a pool or needing to get on the bike and ride. So as Just taking a pair of shoes makes life so much easier. And in not much time, you can get a strong workout in, so traveling coast to coast at the start of our season, just up early, getting runs in.

On a typical week, I travel Thursday, Friday and Saturday we’re at the track, race Sunday, come home. I’ll usually use Monday as a recovery run. I’ve been on the longer side with mileage, low and slow with the heart rate and everything. Tuesday is a pretty tough day for me schedule-wise, so I’ve been doing some shorter runs and higher intensity runs on Tuesday mornings before the kids get dropped off at school, and then I’m at the shop all day on Tuesday. That’s my work day of the week. Wednesdays are pretty open, so usually do some speedwork. Thursdays go long, and then I travel and any time we get, we keep the miles coming in. Maybe a tempo run on Saturday if my legs are back, and then the car race on Sunday is some form of recovery as well for the legs.

We just cram it in when we can. Oftentimes, I’ll leave for a run and just know that if I don’t have it, it’s going to be a lower heart rate, and if I feel something in there, I have a couple options of how I can do tempo or work on some true speedwork.

What’s been the best workout and the toughest workout that you’ve done so far?

I think they kind of go hand in hand. We have an area in Charlotte, the road is called Tranquil, and it’s this steep hill, and we’ll go over there and hit 10-12 repeats. I just did it on Wednesday. I have a time I have to achieve and hold that pace up, and it is painful. I ran it Wednesday and had my highest heart rate to date with my fastest times and most pain, but left the run session with the most gratifying moment. Like, “Wow that really hurt!” [laughs] But it was one of my best runs. I was really proud of it as well.

How long is the repeat and what were the times you hit?

I think it’s about a quarter of a mile. I was trying to stay under 90 seconds getting up it, and I ran it two weeks ago and I was averaging 92 seconds up it and I just averaged 88 seconds up it. So I was really happy to shave off a few seconds over those 10 repeats.

What’s been the biggest challenge in training?

Honestly for me, it’s been the energy. I can find little windows of time. You know, those 20 mile runs are tough and I have to plan them out, but if I get up early I can squeeze in an hour and I can usually find another hour during the day if needed, so getting the majority of the miles in isn’t the problem. It’s just wearing the body down and needing more sleep. And the end of the week, I’ve got to go to the race track and be at my best, and I show up here and the first night I arrive, I knock out probably a 10 or 11 hour night [sleep] just to recharge the batteries.

Nutrition and hydration I’ve been able to dial that in. We have great resources like Gatorade to help me, an experienced coach to help me eat right, fuel right, and all that stuff, so that stuff has gone pretty well for me, and while I’m in the race car too, which is nice. But energy is hard to come by.

When you hit challenges in training, what is your biggest motivation to move forward?

For me, it’s really committing to an event. I’ll sign up for a turkey trot, and I’ll start cramming stuff. It’s just a turkey trot, it’s for fun you know? But as soon as I fully commit and punch in my credit card number, it holds me accountable. It’s one of the biggest motivators for me, and I tell that to friends, to just sign up for something. It’ll motivate you.

Another one that’s motivated me for this experience is David Goggins. He came and spoke at a kick-off event. He’s a former Navy Seal, an Army air ranger, and an endurance super star. I usually don’t listen to anything when I run, but I got into his audiobook in Houston on one of my longest runs. His story and his mindset is very motivating when you just don’t feel like doing it.

What’s the longest run you’ve done in this build-up?

Twenty-one miles. I’ve been to 20 I think five times, and I actually ran 21 miles with David Goggins when he was in town. We went for a run, which was really cool.

Is sub-3 hours still what you’re aiming for?

Yeah, it’s an aggressive goal. Just the way my mind works, I need something to go chase. My first full, and on such a challenging course… who knows what sorts of elements we’re going to be dealing with, but I know it’s a very aggressive goal to set.

Are you feeling confident that you can break it right now?

I’ve lost four weeks of training since January with my issues and the cold, so I don’t know. I feel like I’m behind. I lost a quarter of my training in a sense, so I would assume the odds are stacked pretty heavily against me, but I really have no idea. I ran 12 [miles] the other day and I ran at race pace, which would have put me in the window to do it, and I knocked out 12 pretty easily so that made me think, wow, maybe I can. I’ve never been in a 26.2-mile race. I haven’t been through the hills, the headwind, the torrential rain, or whatever weather is thrown at me so I don’t know.

How does the demand on your body compare in both sports? Race car driving and long distance running?

From a sweat-loss standpoint, I think it’s really similar. The way we sweat or reason we sweat is different. Running is much more physical. In a race car, you’re sitting inside of a sauna. On top of that, I have four layers of fireproof protective clothing on so you end up having the depletion that you would running a tempo pace. That’s been probably the most surprising thing to me, is the heart rate and sweat loss in the car is close to what I see running or cycling. That’s the part where I learned so much about myself through. I’ve been able to learn from being on foot and carry that knowledge to the car, and visa versa, so it’s been an interesting parallel.

Watch: How running keeps NASCAR drivers on track.

I wouldn’t have thought of the layers you have to wear as well, especially in that tight space of a car.

Yeah in the summers, you’re seeing cockpit temps of 140 degrees inside the car, and I’m in there for 3.5-4 hours. You’re cooking. It’s a rough environment.

I know you have the Richmond Raceway on Saturday night before the Boston Marathon. What’s the plan for recovery and travel leading up to the starting line on Monday?

When I think about my goal of three hours, I was imagining that I’d be fully recovered, have my feet up, no lactic acid and stay hydrated, but a car race is a pretty difficult event and in Richmond, Virginia, we have a 400-lap race that is probably top five in physical exertion. I’ll run the race, I’ll make sure that I’m high on fluid volume in the car, carbs up, salts up, all the stuff that I need to do and honestly just keep carrying that into getting out of the car, which is a night race.

The race will finish late, travel to Boston that evening and hopefully sleep in and really just try to keep my feet up throughout the day and replace, replenish, hydrate, fuel up, stretch and really just kind of spend the day trying to stay loose and stretch and literally just try to keep my feet elevated and try to get all that bad blood out and filtered. I have some NormaTec Recovery boots that I’ll probably take with me and spend some time in those.

Ultimately, what do you hope to accomplish with the marathon on April 15?

There’s clearly this experience I’m living firsthand and preparing for and a personal challenge that I’ve gone through. My head has really just been in that space, so I guess I look forward to finishing what I started in a sense.

I have a lot of respect for runners in general. I started my racing life on two wheels racing motocross when I was a kid. I started at 5 years old. All of the training that I’ve done, I mean I swam in high school, but everything else has really been mountain bike, BMX bike, cycling. I’ve always been on two wheels. That’s been my passion and outlet, but to really commit to running for this, I just have so much respect for people who continue to pursue it. It’s a lot of work, you put the body through a ton, and I just admire the commitment that the elites and the weekend warriors have and using running as a way to stay healthy. It’s much more difficult than I thought going into it.