Training Plan / Swim Plan / Crossmen / 10K

I'm currently planning my workouts on a 2 hard weeks, 1 easy week, schedule. I'm also using the Hal Higdon Intermediate Half Marathon Plan as my guideline to get me to the Philadelphia Race.

Even tho' I'm saying that I'm doing hard weeks, I've decided it's time to go slow in the pool. I'm totally inconsistent and it's because of my form. So we are breaking out the Rich Strauss quote "Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast".
I've been in the zone swimming from time to time. I get what he's saying. It's time to become consistent. At music school, I remember my teacher telling me to always finish my practice sessions playing something perfectly with great technique. Then when you pick up the horn again for the next session, you are more likely to pick up where you left off. I can definitely say that I haven't been doing that for the majority of my swim practices. I get tired, I fall apart, I fight my way through the workout and off I go. I'm going to try like crazy, not to practice bad form. If I'm slow, I'm slow. I'll break when necessary. Hopefully it will pay off.
Speaking of music...
After our pool swim on Saturday, Genine and Maija saw me staring across the road in what looked like deep thought to Maija. Genine looked and said, "he's just focused on the marching band rehearsal across the street". Ah yes, a side of Matt that not too many people know about, and if they do know, they don't understand.... Drum Corps! I was just thinking back to 1989 Crossmen. <--YouTube Video. Through an entire summer of bad nutrition, lack of sleep and daily 18 hour rehearsals/shows, I was probably in the best shape of my life... until now. Here is a picture of me after the Erie PA show.

Just to prove it was the 80's, here I am wearing my Crossmen Tour Jacket. I'm sure I've still got that in a closet somewhere. I should break out that jacket and walk over to that band rehearsal. I believe the director of Bridgewater/Raritan HS marched baritone with me in '89. I'm sure he'd get a laugh out of it. Maybe not as much of a laugh as this picture might bring...

Good times! Good times..... Ha ha!

OK, where was I...
Later that afternoon, the scheduled run Saturday was a 5K race. Well I had done a 5K race at the Buckman so I didn't feel that I needed to do that again. Craig commented awhile back when we were talking pace calculators that given his 5K pace he should be running under 50min for 10k's and yet he hasn't done that yet. I haven't either. Obviously not pushing ourselves hard enough on this run. So I figure once I get to the mile mark, if I'm feeling good I'll continue into a fast 10K. It went well and I finished in 47:46. woo woo!

Lastly, I want to say how fun it was to go watch/photograph Maija and Genine's Skylands race. Genine was very concerned about biking up the huge hills, she didn't mention the down hills. She was also very determined not to let Maija down. KB2 will not be defeated!
I only wish I could have been on that stretch of road to see Genine bomb that hill!