Johnny Crain

Defended my mile and 5K titles at the yesterday. It was a blast to step down in distance while in the middle of marathon training.

Capped the great weekend off with 20 solid miles on dirt roads this morning and it's fair to say I'm relaxing the rest of the weekend.

Thanks to and for this epic shot!

Y'all, last night feels like validation on why I haven't let the dream go.

I ran 18:38 for a 5th place finish at the Van Wert 4 Mile with my Playmakers Elite teammates.

Due to injury, the joy of toeing the line and pushing myself to the limit has been three years in the making.

I've been practicing living in the moment and not feeling burdened by my past fitness. I feel free as I explore this restart of my running career.

I'm honestly just having so much fun.*

*Outside of the runs where hordes of mosquitoes swarm me on the River Trail

Three years ago today I finished my last race healthy at the Utica Boilermaker. It was the fittest point of my running career.

A few months after this my running turned into periods of hit and miss training and runs as my foot hurt almost every step of the way.

Tonight though I get to line up 100% healthy once more in a competitive field at the Van Wert 4 Miler with Playmakers Elite

I'm not yet where I was three years ago. But honestly after three years, I'm having more fun than ever just seeing progress.

Tonight is just a step forward but it's one that's going to feel so damn good.