Zombie, run! 5k
Review
Early 2007, I think. Yeah, early 2007; the last time I did
any real cardio and the last time I was in P.E class. To say I was fit then
would be stretching the truth as far as possible. Sure, I dabbled with the gym
in my first year of University and yeah, there have been occasions where I had
to run, but try as I might I have not managed to make myself “fit” despite
multiple attempts.
I’m pleased to announce to my unfit body and BigMac filled
arteries that I have found my saving grace; a fitness plan, a compelling story
and a game rolled into one: Zombie, Run! 5k.
Background
Zombie, run! was originally released after a successful
kickstarter campaign as an app offering a story between your lady gaga songs,
with the ability to build up a base using supplies you collected on your run
avoiding zombies. Whilst it is claimed you can utilize this app without any
running experience, the developers Six to Start released Zombie, run! 5k as a “couch
to 5k” trainer for those in need of a little guidance.
The Facts
The app requires a few additional items to make it useful.
Don’t sweat (yet), you just need some music stored on your phone (Android users
can’t use Google Play Music or Spotify, likewise Apple can’t use Spotify either)
and some headphones. The phone can make use of either the accelometer or GPS in
order to determine your speed, so treadmill junkies are accommodated, but as an
added bonus for GPS users, your runs are tracked and mapped according to the
route you took.
As you imagine, this app is designed to build you to the
point of been able to run 5k, so to progress you must complete workouts in a
linear fashion. After selecting the run,
you are prompting to choose your music playlist to listen to and what method of
tracking you want to use. After this simple step, you’re ready to go.
Characters from the game-world introduce themselves and prompt you as to when to
do your drills and when not to. The exercises were created by professionals, so
you’re not following some randoms rubbish workout, and delivered to you with
the idea of being completed 3 times a week. As the run takes place, your music
is faded out for the delivery of instructions and story; you are also notified
as to when the run is completed. However, if you feel like you have extra to
give, you can carry on the run and it will be tracked.
After completing a run, it is logged on your phone as completed
and the next run is made available. You are given the option of registering on
the Zombie, run! website to use their run tracker. Here, you can view your
route, day of completion, calories and other interesting information such as
average pace and when/where you completed a section of the story. You can
enable sharing of these runs, so your friends can give you a kick in the arse
if you don’t do a run or share their congratulations with you when you do a
good run.
The Opinion
As I mentioned in the blurb at the beginning, I was an unfit
and unmotivated individual who couldn’t get fit. Zombie, Run! 5k interested me
greatly as it combined a few elements that, in my brain anyway, seems like a
fantastic idea; a story, a game and a way of getting fit. I’m so pleased to say
that, as of writing, I have just completed my 1st workout in Week 3
of the programme. Before undertaking the run, I commented to my significant
other that the run looked half impossible and I’d struggle. 5.8Kms in 46
minutes later and I was tired but feeling fantastic; not once did I feel like
giving up and I was majorly surprised at my new found stamina…at week 3!
To back up slightly, my first run extremely difficult. It
was actually not part of the workout regimen, rather the introductory
story-driven episode from the main app, ported over to give the user a bit of
understanding of the game-world. I tried to run as much as I could during this,
but the story was delivered after the music and my choices of 8 minute songs
were…to say the least…foolish. The next day was hell; aches and pains in
muscles I didn’t know existed as well as the inability to stand. But once the
regime kicked in, the problems from my first run didn’t occur again. The
delivery of instructions within music is fantastic, as one can just run and not
worry about the length of song.
The story makes you smile or, when they suggest a zombie is
behind you, does actually give you a bit of motivation to crack on a bit. The
characters are interesting and you can sense there is a real story behind the
people you meet that I can’t wait to flesh out once I’m finished with the
regiment. A slight complaint would be that sometimes the voices are a bit
quiet, but that could (and probably is) down to the quality of my headphones).
In terms of functionality, the app has worked brilliantly.
Using GPS, it has successfully tracked all but one of my runs, with that run
mapped wrongly. Co-incidentally, that occurred when I actually paused my run,
so I suppose that was the culprit. The app has never crashed on me, and all my progress
has been successfully saved. I have had trouble uploading my runs to the
website, but it is fixed by just logging out and re-logging in. The app is very
simple to use as well, which is always a plus! There is no base building in
this app which is a big downer for me, as I’m a sucker for this sort of stuff,
but as it is training you to actually do missions for the base, I can see why
this was done. Heck, more motivation to use the main app!
Referring back to uploading of the runs to the website, it
is a great feature that has had me looking at my runs and picking out points
where I can pick up the pace. It also lets you see your average pace which is very
nifty. I have made use of sharing my runs with selected people and it’s a very
nice feature and another motivator.
The Final Verdict
A common word I've used is “motivator”. And if this lazy
writer is using that word, then it must be a damn good motivator. I’m not ready
to run marathons, or even 5km, but with this app I have the best chance to. The
biggest piece of praise I can give is that I wish I had found this app earlier
in life; I really feel that it is going to improve my health, fitness and make
it enjoyable. I’m only on week 3, but even getting to that stage is a fantastic
testament to this app and I really hope that anyone who needs to get fit will
give this a chance.
As a side note, I am considering blogging about my running
experience, so for those on the bench about buying this app, I might convince
you yet!
Zombie, Run! 5K is available on Android 4.0 & iOS.
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