After a good run at CraicFest, I have slowed down, by almost a minute in the following two races.

The first race was the JB Blastoff race on March 29. This was the second race in the Race Around Waltham series. The Race Around Waltham series is made up of several 5k to 4 mile races. Runners or volunteers who attend enough races can earn tee shirts, jackets, and other prizes. You can read more about it here: http://www.rawseries.org/index.html.

This race came after two days of fencing tournaments. That definitely slowed me down, but the course itself was flat and should have been relatively quick. Still my time was 26:15. (I did place sixth in one of the fencing tournaments, which was a record placement for me.)

The next race was April 19. The Watertown Police Finish Strong 5-K is held every year around the anniversary of the capture of the Boston Marathon bombers. I was in Watertown while the manhunt was going on, so I like to do this race. It benefits Watertown Police Supervisors’ Association, Watertown Police Relief Association, youth community programming and school safety initiatives. I did not get to do the blood drive this year, but if I had been able to, I would have also donated blood.

My time here was 26:55. It was about a minute off the Craicfest time. I had also fenced the Friday before and took third in that tournament. So, maybe the activities in the days before slowed me down, but I think there is likely another reason.

The real problem is probably lack of consistency in my training. Now that the snow has melted and the streets are clear, I need to make more time for running. If anyone out there has suggestions for maintaining consistency or running plans for getting fast, please let me know.