I started the second phase of Jack Daniel’s “Red” fitness plan this week.

The first phase started off already derailed by the aggravation of my sesamoiditis. I used the first week of that phase to ease back into running. Generally, my legs felt heavy, and I felt slow throughout that phase. A lot of my easy runs were spent focusing on keeping a high stride rate with a sluggish pace.

I ran the Decatur DeKalb 4 Miler during the very last week of that phase and ran it to goal pace even with not feeling fast leading up to it.

My phase two weeks will look like this:

1. Monday: 10 minutes Easy + 2 miles T + 2 minutes rest + 10 minutes Easy
2. Tuesday: 30 minutes Easy + 6 Strides
3. Wednesday: 10 minutes Easy + 2 x 1 mile T with 1 minute rests + 10 minutes Easy
4. Thursday: 30 minutes Easy + 6 Strides
5. Friday: 30 minutes Easy + 6 Strides
6. Saturday: 50 minutes Easy

I don’t have any races planned for this phase.

Depending on how I’m feeling, I might reduce my strength training to two days per week instead of the three I’ve been doing.