CONCORD, N.C. – Jimmie Johnson runs more races than you think.
On top of his NASCAR career, Johnson is also a runner. This year he has his sights set on participating in the Boston Marathon.
Johnson has been training for the 26.2-mile race for months. With his rigorous schedule, his dedication to the race keeps him training just about every day.
“It is probably an hour most days, and maybe two days where it is an hour-and-a-half or two hours for a run just to get the mileage in,” Johnson said. “It is a lot less than I have done in years past training for triathlon and some cycling events I have done. Running is much more efficient. You can get a lot done in a shorter period of time.”
The Boston Marathon is quickly approaching its April 15th date, which comes just two days after the night race at Richmond Raceway. With the remainder of time left until the marathon, Johnson is getting physically prepared for the iconic race.
“I am thankful that the bulk of my mileage is behind me and I am starting a process called tapering,” the driver explained. “This week, mileage cuts back, next week even more and then the following week we are at the marathon. We’ve torn the body down, now it is time to rebuild it and get ready and heal up to run my 26.2 miles on April 15.”
Since announcing his participation in the marathon, Johnson’s training has been in conjunction with his jam-packed NASCAR schedule. Through it all, he's kept a positive mindset.
“I do feel good," he said. "I’ve had four months to train for it. I lost a month due to an injury and a cold. I know that is going affect my goal in a sense, but to go run such a major event on Patriots’ Day and what I hear about the experience, I’m just excited to have that chance.”
“It is going to be a fun day."