The Runs Are Contagious

Gorgeous AND
she doesn't hate me
for nicknaming her
"Casshole" when we
were kids.

My baby sister Cassie is not a wuss.  She owns it in a male dominated field as both a reserve police officer (5-0, YO!) and a firefighter.  Also?  She does dispatch for 9-1-1.  (My tip?  Everyone needs a friend who works in civil service.  Between those three occupations listed above, homegirl has some stories that will split your sides.) (Okay, twist my arm, sure I'll share one. One time Cassie got a call from a man being held against his will. When Cassie tried to get his location to put officers at the scene, she discovered the man was calling from inside the back of a squad car.  He was being held against his will because he was under arrest. Awesome.)

Cassie was not a runner when I asked her (and baby brother Steve) to do last year's Warrior Dash, but I approach WD less as a 5K and more as the most fun you'll ever have crawling through mud under barbed wire, so we were totally cool to walk the darn thing and crush it on the obstacles (finishing in an uber unimpressive hour and a half)(go big or go home, right?)

Me, Steve, and Cassie.  Steve actually started behind us but passed us on the course without saying anything, so Cas and I spent a fair amount of time looking over our shoulder for our little brother who runs at about a 7 min pace, worried because "he should have caught up by now."  Awesome.

Even though she isn't a runner, the physical requirements involved in being a firefighter has made her a strong, fit lady, so I was pretty sure she would totally want to come running with me on our vacation.  I mean, what non-runner wouldn't want to start running ... on vacation?

The pre-run picture.  She totally has an inkling of what she is in for, and yet she still showed up.  So that's like double points.

When we started running I had her do a three minute run, two minute walk combo.  We did this once.  Then, because she was barely stressing at all I switched to a three minute run, one minute walk.  We also did this once.  Then we did the rest of the run at four minute run, one minute walk, totaling three and a half miles because she is a rock star.  (Remember my first run?  The one where I threw up? Cassie rated zero on the vomit scale for her first run, whereas I rated a ten on mine, so I'm pretty sure I won.)

She agreed to run with me again the next day, where we bumped it up to a five minute run, one minute walk for the same three and a half miles.  This route included the "Please don't let me fall and skin my face off" hill from my triathlon, and finally someone can back me up that this hill was Serious Business.  We also ran along this pier:

...you can't see them here, but I assure you we were flanked on all sides by Lake Huron leeches.  On our return to the cottage we were greeted by all our children, our hubsters, and our parents.  It was just like a real race, and next time I will ghetto-rig some kind of finish line to make it more official.

BIG FINISH!  Our second 3.5 miler on vacation.  Ran it LIKE A BOSS.  (Or like Bosses.  But that just doesn't have the same ring.  Way to ruin my bragging, Grammar.)

Since she's been home, Cassie knocked out another 35 minute run with her kiddos, so I think it's safe to say she officially has the runs.