Run!

My buddy, Will, who runs this very site, is an avid runner. He runs all the time. He's probably running right now.

I am - well, to put it charitably, let's just say I'm "less active."

Will is definitely motivated to get up and go running. In fact, he's been doing it so long, it's just a part of his routine now. I'll bet he probably gets really annoyed when he can't go running. Weird, right?

And, he's got a cool app that tracks his steps and average speed and distance, and it pulls that data into some really meaningful statistics for him. Like, I'll bet he's easily run the equivalent of New York to L.A., and probably even back again. Those statistics provide some interesting feedback.

I'm in a totally different camp. Running is just not something that I am motivated to do. I would much rather organize my iTunes library. But with my schedule, it's probably the easiest form of healthy activity that I can add into my life right now. And I really want to do it. More physical activity = Better quality of life. I get it. I do have the desire to become more healthy and to run, just not the motivation.

Enter my own app discovery, Zombies, Run!  Zombies, Run! incorporates some game-like elements into the real world activity of, you guessed it, running. You are Runner 5, dropped into this game world, and the story unfolds as you collect items and supplies, expand your home base, and run from flesh eating Walkers.

Except these zombies don't amble like they do in most movies. They're fast. And at some points in the game, they give chase, and you need to run faster for a short period of time to outrun them. Using the GPS location service in your smart phone, the application "knows" whether or not you've really run faster, and if you were fast enough to evade the zombies. Failing to run faster, or not fast enough, means getting caught, losing supplies, or even failing the mission.

The app can also record the distance, time, pace, and calories burned on each mission through the use of the phone's GPS or accelerometer. I haven't used that, and I don't know if I will. It would probably be interesting to see that feedback, but hey, my goal is to get outside and, as they say, "just do it."

One brilliant aspect of the game, at least for me, is that you can also incorporate your own running playlist. You get updates to the story in between your songs, and it's during your songs that you hear the zombies behind you and need to pour on that extra sprint.

Here's my current "Outrun the Horde" mix:

It's a little heavy on the metal side.

The app does what it's supposed to do, and what I wanted it to do: Get me outside, and moving. 

And so far, it's working. I am more motivated to get out and run.

At least until Walking Dead's Season 3 is available to stream on Netflix.

-Shawn


P.S. I get no compensation from the makers of the Zombies, Run! app, nor through any affiliate program. I just like the concept, how it interacts with music I really like, and the fact that it got me moving. And, I don't want to end up like this. Cheers!