Race Recap: The Spring River’s Run Off 10K

Posted in Race Recaps by Kara

At the beginning of the year I had set some pretty big goals for running, but after a lot of contemplation, I re-jigged them into something more achievable. Originally I set my sights on completing a half-marathon by the end of this year, but now I’m aiming at simply upping my distances and completing eight races in the Kamloops Run Series.

This year, much like last, we kicked off the 2019 running season at the Spring River Run Off race, hosted by the always amazing Kamloops Ridge Runners. This would be my first kick at completing a race at the 10km distance, and to say I was nervous would be an understatement. Lucky for me, Kyle decided that he’d hang out at my pace and kept me going pretty much throughout the whole race.

We were called “The Cute Couple” but this photo is everything but cute, haha! (Photo by David Graham)

Overall, I felt really good throughout the whole race! My knees started giving me a pretty hard time somewhere between the 7 and 8 km mark, but Kyle really helped keep me going and I managed to finish fast and strong with a time of 56:29 and an average pace of 5:39/km. My main goal was to finish in under an hour, and I’m pretty jazzed that I was able to crush that one!

Today my legs are pretty much dead to me, but it’s so worth it. I’m looking forward to the rest of the race season, and being able to confidently accomplish longer distances!

14Mar2019

Pleased to meet you!

Posted in Introduction by Kara

I’ve noticed that I have quite a few more followers and/or subscribers, so I thought I’d take a quick moment to say hello and re-introduce myself!

For those new to the blog, my name is Kara and I live in the fabulous Interior region of British Columbia. I am currently a stay-at-home-mom working to complete my administrative assistant certificate, while at the same time wrangling two daughters, Isla (6) and Norah (3), and two dogs, Campbell and Sam. I couldn’t do everything I do without the love and support from my amazing husband. He’s simply the bee’s knees!

Visiting one of our favourite places in September 2017

When I’m not preoccupied with taxiing my kids around and studying, I enjoy reading a wide variety of books (historical fiction and chick-lit are generally my go-to’s), playing slo-pitch, and running (mostly for fun). Feel free to check out my book reviews and race recaps!

Other interesting things about me are:

I don’t like wine or beer. The closest I’ll get to drinking either is a radler or mimosa.
My favourite adult beverage would have to be Caesars, especially on a hot, summer day!
I’m generally pretty quiet in person until I really get to know someone.
I have a degree in journalism and really wanted to be a reporter once upon a time, but then the paper that I worked at closed its doors and I lost that passion. I do still enjoy writing, thus why I maintain this blog.
I’m half-Chinese but cannot speak a lick of the language. I’d love to travel to China one day to see where my family came from though.
I’m 100% a dog person and am allergic to cats.
Public pools stress me out because of the gunk I’ve seen floating around, but I’m a-okay with swimming in lakes.
I’ve been to Las Vegas twice and would go every year if it was affordable. I’m a horrible gambler but I just love the atmosphere!

I think that’s about all I have to share for now – if there’s anything you’d like to know or for me to elaborate more on, leave a note in the comments below! I’d also love to hear how you found She Writes Words.

Thanks for stopping by!

8Mar2019

Sam I Am

Posted in Pets by Kara

I’d like to introduce the newest member of our household, Sam the German Shepherd Dog!

He was born on December 6, which makes him about 13 weeks old.

We had such a hard time deciding on a name for him; originally we had two choices, with “Sam” being Isla’s pick. (Norah was dead-set on Tinkles, haha.) As time went on more and more solid choices were added to the list, but in the end we went with Sam because it would make Isla the happiest and there’s a lot of tie-ins to the other name we had picked. So, Sam I Am, after Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham, it was!

He was a bit sombre the first couple days we had him – it was such a big change going from the breeder’s outdoor kennel with a bunch of friends to a quiet, indoor house. Sam has now settling in quite well, and is getting along with his “big brother” Campbell awesomely! They’ll play with one another for 15-20 minutes before Sam gets tuckered out and falls asleep. (Dog babies are the same as human babies in that regard, ha!)

Of course, Isla and Norah both adore him as well! Norah was very excited to meet him and Isla is smitten that we chose the name she picked.

Life with a puppy is definitely an adventure; it’s been over 14 years since we’ve had one so there’s a lot of relearning, but Sam is so mellow and relaxed most of the time. We’ve been socializing him with people when I pick Isla up from school, and he’s content to just sit or lay by my side until Isla comes out. We’ve had a few accidents on the floor but nothing too crazy, and we’re slowly working on a routine that works.

Sam is proving to be an amazing dog to fill that void that Daphne left just under a year ago. I know there will never be another dog quite like her, but Sam is pretty gosh-darn close!

If you want, feel free to “Follow” Sam on Instagram: @SamIAm_theGSD. I never thought I’d be one of “those” people, but here we are, lol!

Side note: It’s common for German Shepherd puppies to have their ears glued together to help this stay upright faster. They’re born with floppy ears and they eventually go up on their own, but some breeders glue them to speed things along. Sam’s were glued but came undone a couple days ago. It doesn’t hurt them at all! (So don’t @ me!)