Today's Run OR Training for the Zombie Apocalypse

from  Blackest Night

I finally got around to trying out the Run, Zombies! app. I have to admit this made me a little nervous. When I run in the morning, it's dark. It's just canine and me. I'm already on the alert for other people, cars, etc. So, of course, folding in zombies is a marginal idea. On the other hand, I fell in love with the concept when it was first on Kickstarter. I found out that the game could now be synced to Runkeeper, which was one of the things that held me back.

I also found out that for a limited "resolution offer," the app is 50% off.

So, yes, I downloaded it last night and tried out the first mission this morning.

Impressions:

• The app is supposed to work with an already existing playlist on your device. I tend to either listen to NPR or Pandora when I run. I tried it with Pandora, and it worked okay as long as I didn't mind the music and the story overlapping. I will, however, need a develop one. (Suggestions welcome.)
• All the dialogue is done by British actors. I'm not sure why this was a shock (I have a vague memory of a friend mentioning it). I just pretended I was in a special episode of Torchwood.
• You "pick up" supplies along the run automatically. Which leaves me to wonder--either I've got a TARDIS for a backpack, or I'm pretty fast holding crutches (among other things). And if I picked up an ax, why can't I use it as a weapon? Upper body work out!
• I left the Chase Mode off this time (where moaning prompts you to pick up the pace), mostly because I didn't want to be pushed before I knew what to expect. I suspect that it didn't record my mileage as a result. While I could adjust the log on Runkeeper, I am unable to edit the Run, Zombies! 
• That being said, the story does prompt you to run several times--one toward the beginning (after a moderate warm up), one toward the middle, and a sprint at the end. I'm guessing this pattern runs through all the missions. This is actually really great for me, since I have the tendency to burn all my fuel at the beginning. Knowing that my survival depends on pacing will be a huge boon to my skill set.

When I told Mister about not using the Chase Mode, I told him I was scared that I wouldn't be able to keep up the pace, especially at the end; I was most likely brain-food. 

He asked the obvious: "Why does that matter?"

He's right. I just do the mission over again, I guess; it's not like it's real.  But that's the fun of it--it feels pretty real at the time.

I'm not going to use it every run. I'll save it special for Thursdays when it's difficult to get up early and my time is abbreviated. (You can choose either a half hour or hour mission to complete.) I haven't played around with the base building component either.

Anyway, I can totally sense the sexual tension between the communication officer and me.