Zombies, Run! mobile app

I know that this should probably go on the Mobile Discussion but since it's not really a game and I love you guys the best I decided to post it here; if it really bothers you guys I'll move it.

So now that I can actually breathe outside without my lungs freezing over I decided to take up running again. I kind of enjoy running but it gets boring after a while, especially without music (always forget to charge my f'ing MP3 player) and I heard about this running app called Zombies, Run! that lots of people seem to be raving about but I'm having trouble getting information out of it, especially regarding the "extra content" purchases part of the app. It seems like a cool idea to actually be a runner gathering supplies and whatnot, and apparently the story is quite good...they keep launching more missions (up to a few hundred now I believe) and 3 seasons of story so far.

Have any of you tried it yet? If so, how is it?

As a coach and swimmer, I can say that staying motivated (and motivating others) to keep working can be very difficult - and this sounds like a freaking sweet idea. I don't know much yet, but I intend to find out. :P

Never tried it but the wiki page makes it sound interesting.

Anyway, running in mid-February? Netherlands must be tropical compared to here.

@Storm_Marine: It's quite nice here now, which is unusual...this week has been between 0 and 3-4 degrees (Celcius)....even when it's -10 it's very doable...it's the bloody wind that screws it up....you're fine and all of a sudden the winds starts blowing and it's tears running down your face, snot running down your nose and your inner ear hurting like a bitch...

@mattbbpl: Yeah, I hope it'll be like starring in your own video game =P Interval training sucks but being told to speed the hell up because a zombie horde is about to eat your face...that I can get behind...or hopefully in front.

This review seems to give a good indication of what to expect (although it's a little dated)

http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/06/26/review-zombies-run-is-a-fantastic-app-as-long-as-you-like-working-out-more-than-you-like-zombies/

I can probably work something like this into my kids' swim routines with a little thought. It couldn't require a phone and headphones, though :P

@korvus

It's not even just the cold, it's that everywhere here that's decent to run is covered in 3 feet of snow.

@Storm_Marine: Yeah, we only had 2 days of snow (which lead to a week and a half of gray slush...) but the snow is ok, the ice underneath is the trouble for me...everything is "de-iced" now, so it should be fine.

Definitely. Most of the kids I coach respond much better to the... unorthodox workouts I have them do (the Wheel of Misfortune, swimming in sweatsuits, cat and mouse, water polo [which is really just an excuse to get them to tread water for an hour and a half]), better than the traditional workouts. I just think they're more engaging on the mind because they're different, you know?

@mattbbpl: Yep, just like nobody gets super excited when our basketball coach announces we're doing drills or suicide runs for the next half an hour, right?

@mattbbpl: Just used the app for the first time today and I had a lot of fun. There's a ton of good stuff and only one slightly less good one (that is negligible anyway). If you're interested in knowing more just let me know ^_^

Will keep a eye out for this app :)

@indzman: You should...I had an appointment today so I wasn't dressed for running and ended up just walking home (2 hour walk) for exercise instead of running. I had so much fun with the app that when I got home I was wanting to change into my sport clothes and still go running just to do another mission.

All I know this those zombies better be fast motherfuckers if they want to catch me.

Cool, Glad to hear you having a great time with the app. I'll faint at 2 Hr walk lol.

@indzman: Well, the missions are 30 minutes each (unless you set them for 1h...same content but more music between missions sound clips) so even if you want to walk for 30 minutes you can still enjoy the app.

For me I really think it'll be fun to run...my legs were actually itching to run at some parts of the mission, it was quite immersive (and the music helped) and when I'd notice I'd be walking really quick, like I was running from someone while trying to be inconspicuous. A few people might have given me the long look =P

So its like a kinect kind simulation game? Exercise running as in the missions? :)

@indzman: Yep, you are Runner 5 and you go on missions for the town where the survivors live. I haven't done enough missions to give you an overview of the story but considering there are over 100 story missions so far (with new ones released every few weeks) it seems to have a long story arc.

While running you achieve objectives, pick up items to help the town, evade zombies (if you want to do interval training you can activate the random zombie chase option, which forces you to speed up to evade zombies). Then at the end of the mission if you keep running it switches to their own radio show where they comment on what's going on in the town and surrounding area, chat with "you" and then play music (from your playlist). When you get home, you distribute the supplies you got with the town and upgrade the buildings, etc...kind of like a facebook game. I felt all happy that I managed to pick up almost 70 supplies in those 2 hours...gave my town a nice little boost and managed to repair the wall that had been attacked during the night.

Kinda old, but Super BunnyHop is legit, even if he's a member of GameJournoPros.

@MlauTheDaft: It's obvious that that guy was unable to outrun the zombies =P

@korvus: Indeed good Sir :)

I'm fine with 30 mins on the treadmill every second day (as cardio/warmup to back, abs, shoulders and chest), but I hope you find some inspiration. Exercise sucks, but the results are a true joy.

@MlauTheDaft: Yeah, don't get me wrong...I'm not the kind of person who says I won't exercise unless I'm distracted while doing it (some people are like that and that's ok too!) but I ended up having a good time with the app, so why not do both, right? It was a bit of a novel concept for me to kind of be in a sort of interactive movie while exercising. And it can be quite motivating if you are in the right mindset. Don't feel like running today? Well, too bad, your town ran out of meds, you need to go for a supply run...

Of course if you really hate running you'll just let them all die from their infected wounds anyway, so the app mainly helps you convince yourself that you want to run. And at the end of the day it's fun to hear "Well, that's a nasty surprise for you...you just found a nest of hostiles, you better haul ass!" and then paying attention to how close the zombies sound to measure whether you are speeding up or slowing down, especially when the alternative is a normal running app where you hear this very bored person stating "Sprint, 5 minutes, start" and then listen to the beeps that indicate your speed.

"That was awesome Runner 5! Welcome home and thank you for the supplies."

I think there is absolutely nothing that could convince me to pick up running again and keep motivated. I tried it and stuck with it for a few months and man what a fucking drudgery. I prefer brisk walking and actually enjoy it. I haven't done deliberate cardio in ages anyway but I do workout almost daily.

@GazaAli: Better to do less intensive workout that you actually enjoy than forcing yourself to do something heavier that you'll just end up doing half-assedly and most of the time finding excuses not to do anyway. You're probably getting better results with brisk walking than you did with running since you'll keep at it for longer.

Very interesting. I see only benefits from this app, keeping one engrossed with fitness and fun timepass. Thats most important :)

I like running. I feel like I breathe so much better and feel good too. Even though it is cold out and my nose runs like a cheetah.

I don't like running but I do it anyway because I agree.

I prefer these for cardio over running. I do want to work on my 2k run this summer though.

@Hatiko: Can't say I've ever heard that expression but I like it.

Awesome, thanks for the heads up.

I've already decided that I'm going to give it a whirl in spring and then try to incorporate some elements into my swim workouts. I'll be finding out firsthand soon enough.

@mattbbpl: Yeah, I'm undecided what to do with running in the winter. Went for a run today, it was 0C (32F) outside so not too bad but my throat kept freezing after the zombie chases (I had to sprint for those) when I was breathing quite quickly and it completely messed up my pace (I had asthma as a kid, so my breath gets messed up easily). Overall it was a ton of fun and I'm quite enjoying all the statistics the app records...apparently I was overdoing the chases...I was supposed to increase the pace by 20% and I was increasing speed by 80-120%...also fun to see which tracks get me "pumped up"

i dl'd it forever ago and used it when i walked the dogs.

it's ok, i eventually didn't feel like messing with anymore and didn't re-dl it when i got a new phone.

I actually do neither nowadays and haven't done cardio in ages. I used to do it regularly a few years back when I decided to lose weight. After that I stopped doing cardio in the strictest sense of the word but I still workout regularly.

While what you're saying holds in general, I did have the willpower to drag myself every morning out of bed to do interval training. Even when it would be freezing cold I carried on with my routine. I used to do interval training for 30 minutes or so then stop by the gym, have my weight training of the day and then head back home. Needless to say, it was one hell of a drudgery but I persisted with it until I no longer had to sustain such a vigorous and intense workout plan.

@korvus: At 32 degrees F you should be fine physically during a winter run. It won't realistically get cold enough in your climate to cause any damage (such as the myth of frozen lung tissue). There are tons of write-ups on why cold-weather running is safe for your insides - just take care not to get frostbite on your outsides. Particularly cold, dry air can irritate asthma though, so be conscious of that. Note that that usually occurs in extremes though, like in subzero (F) temperatures or high altitudes. I think you'll do more harm by skipping the winter than you will by running in it.

I'm not sure I agree with the recommendation of a 20% increase - that doesn't sound like the cycle training I'm used to. I've always done it so that I'm really tired after the fast cycle, and then I bring my heart rate down during the slow cycle. That recommendation might just be "mass consumer friendly", although it's hard to say without seeing the frequency and length of the cycles for myself.

In short, I think you're doing it right - pushing on the fast cycles and continuing in the winter.

@mattbbpl: Well yeah, I didn't mean my throat was literally freezing, I just meant that since it was cold and I was breathing quickly my throat started hurting by inhaling all that cold air...that's probably not why I was having trouble breathing...I have quite extensive lung damage from all those years of asthma...plus I also think I was pushing it a bit too much...the run statistics say that I was running at an average of 16KPH (10MPH if the converter is correct)...while that's probably not much it's also probably not something I should be doing the first day back after months of not running.

did you get eaten?

@Storm_Marine: Escaped 2 out of 3 chases. On the second one I was already going at top speed when the chase started and I couldn't speed up enough to avoid the chase...luckily you don't "get eaten" but you lose some items you collected since you have to throw them to distract the zombies. Getting a "you're dead, start over" during a run would be quite annoying =P

Still, today I learned that 11MPH is not enough to outrun a zombie...suckers be fast!

Own both Zombies Run and the 5K trainer.

As far as enjoyment and making me get over the "but I HATE running" part - invaluable,
As a fitness tool - adequate. The interval running is good but I would recommend doing the 5K trainer first, as the story tends to assume you can keep a run up for 30 minutes (I could not, coming back from a knee injury).

Probably the only program that's made me want to use it after the initial "I WILL lose weight" buzz wears off.

@D3nnyCrane: True, the story assumes that you are running at all times but you don't necessarily have to. You could even walk for the half hour if you wished...only thing that requires you to run are the zombie chases but I agree it's a lot more enjoyable if you're actually running the whole time.