Johnny Crain is a 25 year old elite distance runner who most recently threw down a 2:15:46 (about 5:11/mi pace!) at the California International Marathon in 2017! That event doubles as the U.S. National Championship for the marathon. As the youngest finisher in the top 12, his future is beyond bright.
Johnny currently runs full-time for ZAP Fitness in North Carolina, a post-collegiate training center for Olympic hopeful elite distance runners. If you follow USA track and field, you may have seen him rubbing elbows with the Olympians in the 10k and marathon trials. A long way from his humble beginnings in a small central Illinois town.
Background
Johnny was born and raised in Dunlap, Illinois, a town of less than 2,000. He began as a gifted miler in high school, setting school and state records. From there, he landed at North Central College (NCC), a Division III program with 17 national titles to its name.
At NCC, Johnny was a four-time NCAA champion (3,000m indoor, 5,000m indoor and outdoor, 10,000m outdoor) and 10-time All-American. Perhaps more important than the awards he received at NCC was the coaching he received from famed coach Al Carius. He was not just a running coach but “a coach on life,” Johnny said, speaking of the principles and life lessons he learned from Coach Carius. Principles which are evident when you speak to Johnny.
After North Central, Johnny took a graduate assistant position with the cross country and track teams at Oklahoma University. “I thought I was done with running. I was getting ready for the next phase of my life without competitive running,” he explained. But he experienced a breakthrough in his training while he coached himself for this 2-year period.
During this time, he discovered he still had passion for the sport. “I was sneaking out to run a double at 9:30 at night, when I had to be at practice the next morning at 6:15.” Validation of his efforts came when, at just 22 years old, he finished 12th at the US Half Marathon Championships in Houston with a 1:03:21. All this despite despite a hectic and less than ideal training schedule.
“Training had been awful,” he said. “I rarely hit the paces I wanted to. I was just running 115 miles a week because I loved it.” That love of the sport not only carried Johnny to the 2016 Olympic Trials, it would carry him to the next level in his career.
After following up the half marathon PR with a fast 10k later that year, he garnered interest from elite running groups across the nation. Following some deliberation, he selected ZAP, whom he joined in 2016.
Going Pro
I asked Johnny what the biggest difference was between a professional and amateur runner. “There are more similarities than differences,” he assured me. “The speeds we run may be faster, but runners are all very much alike.”
He went on to talk about the priority shift for an elite runner. “Training is the number one priority,” he said. When asked to describe a typical day at ZAP, Johnny went on, “Eat, run, core, lunch, nap, run, stretch, dinner, recovery, sleep, repeat.” He noted the emphasis on recovery. When he is done training for the day, he is intentional about staying off his feet and allowing his body to adapt.
From June to September, ZAP puts on running camps for adults at their home campus. During that time, he adds several not-so-glamorous job titles to his name like “lawn mower” and “dorm room cleaner”. Outside of those times, however, the extreme focus is on training.
Progressing in Distance
Like many other elite runners, Johnny’s race focus has lengthened slowly throughout his career. His focus on the 5,000m at North Central turned to the 10,000m distance later in college and in the years following. He then qualified for the 2016 Olympic Trials Marathon with a half marathon PR of 1:03:21.
I asked the key to successfully extending his speed at new distances – something amateur runners often struggle with. “Patience,” he told me plainly. “There is no substitute for time and experience,” he added.
So why the jump now to the marathon? “I was 16th at the trials (2016 10,000m Olympic Trials) and have just about exhausted what I can do there. If I want to increase my chances at an Olympic team, I have to see what I can do at longer distances.”
A Running Plateau?
I was quick to point out his fast times not just at short distances but now at longer ones as well. When asked if he’d ever reached a plateau of any kind, Johnny was straightforward. “I saw steady improvement through 2016,” he said. “But honestly, I’m currently in a bit of a plateau,” he added, despite an impressive 2017 campaign.
“I know there’s more there though,” he added, citing feelings of breakthrough in workouts. “I know it will pay off. It’s tough because you always want to beat the previous you. You just have to be patient.” The confidence in his attitude made it easy to see where his past success had originated.
A Marathon Breakthrough
The 2016 Olympics Trials Marathon in Los Angeles was Johnny’s first marathon. You heard that correctly. He had never raced the distance before and was lining up with the nation’s most elite runners. Perhaps surprisingly, this is not as uncommon as you might think, given that you can qualify with a (super fast!) half marathon.
That race was a lesson in the patience already referenced above. Although he tried to adjust for the extreme heat on that day, he was not conservative enough and faded in the second half to a 2:27:37. Not bad for a first marathon!
Less than two years later, he lined up at the California International Marathon in Sacramento with something to prove. A self-proclaimed “higher mileage freak,” Johnny maxed his weekly mileage at a whopping 136 miles before this race! I asked him if he had a favorite or key workout heading into this that gave him confidence or prepared him well. “It was a 4-3-3-4 with float miles in between at 40-60 seconds slower than race pace,” he started.
That’s 4 miles at race pace, 1 float mile, 3 miles at race pace, 1 float mile, etc. Keep in mind two things. First, his race pace is in the 5:05/mi range! Second, each segment got progressively faster. The fact that he could rattle off the exact times of the segments (his last 4-mile split being 19:48!) tells you how devoted he is to his training. This workout took place two and a half weeks out from race day.
Johnny blogged about his race on his blog (link here) and although he missed the Olympic ‘A’ standard by just 46 seconds, his time of 2:15:46 was a tremendous step in the right direction. He has already punched his ticket to the 2020 Olympic Trials Marathon and now has ample time to get even stronger.
Looking Ahead to 2018
Johnny already started off 2018 by winning the Tallahassee Half Marathon a few weeks ago. Here are the other notable races he plans to line up for this year:
- Cherry Blossom 10-Mile Run in April in Washington, DC.
- USATF Half Marathon Championships in May in Pittsburgh, PA
- Steamboat Classic 4-mile Race in June in Peoria, IL
- Peach Tree 10k Road Race in July in Atlanta, GA
As for the fall, Johnny is still undecided. “I would love to do the Chicago Marathon at some point, being from Illinois,” he said.
A Special Race
I took some time to discuss the Steamboat Classic race in particular with Johnny, since it is his hometown race and holds a special place for him.
The oddball race from the list above is the Steamboat Classic in Peoria, IL. Johnny always makes it a priority to attend this small town race that has become world famous for being fast. “It was my first road race and my hometown race. I love Peoria and the running community there. That community, the folks at Running Central (local running store), they’ve all been so good to me,” he says.
In 2016, Johnny won the 4-mile race with a time of 18:25 – the first win by a local since Tim Broe, an Olympian in the 5000m. He has also won the Steamboat Classic 15k twice. With his experience in the race, I wanted to know some of his insights into how to make it a successful race.
Steamboat Classic 101
Brian: “Johnny, what’s some advice you’d give to a beginner running the 4-mile race for the first time?”
Johnny: “Just have fun. Enjoy the race. Being in June, it is always hot and humid so be prepared for that and be conservative. Don’t go out too fast in the first 2 miles. You want to feel good 2 miles into it. After that, just have fun and enjoy.”
Brian: “What’s a key workout you might do heading into the race?”
Johnny: “I would do my last big session two weeks out. 3 x 1 mile repeats with negative splits (beginning a little slower than race pace and finishing faster than race pace). I would do about 3-3.5 minutes of rest in between and follow that up with 8 x 400m intervals, getting faster and faster, with about 90 seconds rest in between intervals.”
A special thanks to Johnny for taking time out of his training schedule to answer these questions. This was such an awesome conversation, and I wish him the best in his career. If you are racing the 4-mile Steamboat Classic race this summer, you may be interested in a few of the plans I’ve put together. Happy Racing!
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