Improve Your Running By Fleeing from Zombies
Zombies, Run! is the most fun—and fear—you'll experience with a workout app.
What would you do during a zombie apocalypse? The entertainment world loves pondering this hypothetical but when it comes to zombie movies or shows, I'm a wreck. This is why, despite several of my friends' attempts to get me on board with The Walking Dead, I can't sit through one episode. My fear came in handy once I heard about the fitness app Zombies, Run! ($4).
I've tried several running apps before—MapMyRun, Tom Tom, RunKeeper, Nike—and this is by far the most creative. There is a storyline told through your headphones when you start a run. Mixed in with your own playlists, you get cues from the narrator on actions unfolding. In the Zombies, Run! world, you are "Runner 5" and hundreds of lives rely on your help to rebuild your base. So, you collect supplies along the way by reaching certain distances and all the while must avoid zombie hordes. There are 40 missions included when you buy the app and 120+ missions unlocked when you purchase other seasons—you'll never get bored.
Although this would probably be most fun if you were outdoors (since you could use GPS to track your mileage and path), I tried it out on a three-mile treadmill run and it was just as effective. My imagination got the best of me so whenever I was prompted to go faster—there's a zombie "chase" option for getting those high-intensity intervals in—I went up to a eight miles per hour pace where I'd typically hover around six.
The sound effects of zombies trailing me and the dispatcher telling me to go faster not only made me speed up, but also made me feel at ease going outside my comfort zone. This just goes to show how you can control your mindset during training. A guided workout like this makes you pick up right when you're telling yourself to quit.
If you're up for a challenge and an extreme adrenaline rush, download Zombies, Run! here.
