"That’s a different kind of pain!"- Michael Johnson reacts to Gabby Thomas' viral mile time trial  

Michael Johnson reacted to the viral video of Gabby Thomas running a mile during her practice sessions. The legendary athlete expressed he has experience running the distance and revealed that it is a different kind of pain for a sprinter who is accustomed to excelling over shorter distances.

Gabby Thomas returned to the track to prepare for the upcoming season after concluding a victorious campaign at the Paris Olympics, where she won three gold medals and emerged as one of the most successful U.S. track athletes of this season. She often shares glimpses of her training sessions with hilarious skits on TikTok along with her teammates.

Recently a video of her running the mile as a part of a time trial during a training session went viral on the internet. Thomas was seen struggling towards the end of the trail and ultimately clocked 5 minutes and 43 seconds to complete the distance. She took to X to express her thoughts on running the mile and said:

“I know there’s a video circulating of me running a mile time trial…I may have went out too fast that first lap, but I’m a SPRINTER 😂 it’s all I know!!”

Furthermore, she poked fun at herself and said:

"My toxic trait is believing I could run a sub 5 mile."

Legendary athlete Michael Johnson reacted to the video and shared his own experience of running the mile as a sprinter.

"I been there. That’s a different kind of pain!" he wrote.

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Gabby Thomas on running long distances during her training routines

Gabby Thomas poses during the medal ceremony of the women's 200m at the Olympic Games in Paris - Athletics - Source: Getty

Gabby Thomas spoke about her training routines after the Paris Olympics in an interview with Today. The American athlete revealed that being a sprinter, they don't train over longer distances but rather trains over shorter distances while focusing on her speed and other technical aspects of sprinting.

Moreover, she revealed that the farthest she has run during a training session is one mile.

"We don't get a lot of mileage in. The furthest I will run is one mile. We do a mile in the fall. It's a gut check. We do it to tap into your mental side: 'Can you finish a mile?'" she said. "It's really difficult for us."

She also spoke about dealing with pain during training sessions.

“It can be painful at times, but it’s such a beautiful sport. You set goals and go after them in the purest form — and when you achieve those goals, it’s such an addicting feeling.”

Furthermore, she stressed the importance of perseverance to achieve long-term success.