Zombies, run! Part deux

I really felt like I had to finish my mission from yesterday, so I went back out today and hit the beach again.  This time though, I had my music synced to the app and I turned off the zombie chase.  Switching direction mid-run is not something I want to do at the beach, I'll wait til the snow melts and I can back in the woods for that.   The other reason for my run was to test how fast my battery drained with both apps, Zombies, run and Charity Miles, running together.  Good news!  They didn't seem to put a dent in my battery, so it looks like I'll be good to go for using both apps when running.  Earning donations AND surviving the zombie apocalypse...does it get any better? The answer is no.
I was able to finish my mission and pick up some more supplies.  As I was only 1.5 through my run when the mission finished, I just kept going. Now, I thought maybe the app would just bump down to the next mission, but I really can't tell if it did or not.  If it didn't, I now have two missions open. If it is cycling through, I now have two missions in progress.  Either way, I'm really whizzing through it.  On top of all this, I had my fastest 5K today as well, thanks to the radio operator on the app.  At one point, they noticed a group of zombies and yelled at me to put on a burst of speed so I could to make it to the gate.  Sadly, they never really tell you when you make it to the gate, so you could be running faster for quite some time.  Thanks to that burst of speed, along with a slightly sped up run, I managed 3.1 in 29 minutes.  Wooooooooooooooo!
Here's some new information I learned about the app today.
1. Everyone is called Runner 5
2. You collect the most random supplies; trousers, underwear, a sports bra????
3. If you register online, you can share your runs and stats with other runner 5s.
4. The screen with the buildings on it is actually able to be upgraded.  You use your supplies to upgrade your buildings.  This is more intense than I thought it was!
5. Zombies, Run 2 is in production right now.  Wish I hadn't known that, otherwise I might not have bought this one. The new one, apparently, has more features, and I'm sure it will have to be bought separately.

Here's a link to the app website. Get yourself registered and join the fight for survival.  If you want to find me, I'm under awwie15.  Enjoy!
Check it out

Zombies, RUN!

Mrs. S., a first grade teacher in my school, who also happens to be a runner, shared a new gem of an app. with me today.  She read about it on, where else, Pinterest.  At first I was skeptical.  What she was telling me sounded crazy and a little bit too outrageous for me when I'm running.  But I listened and went so far as to say I would give it a try.  Of course, once I committed, I had to go in and download the app, which meant then, OF COURSE, I had to go and try it out, which meant, I had to go for a run.  So, in the end, it was all good for me I suppose.  But enough back story, let's get to the app, shall we?
It's called Zombies, run. and is basically a video game you play while you're running.  I know, it sounds crazy right???  That's what I thought when she first started explaining it to me.  Well, actually, at first, I thought she was talking about the actual Zombie Run or something similiar, and I could not understand why she was calling it an app.  Luckily we got over that confusion quickly.  This app is actually pretty sweet though and I'll explain why in a minute.  (Side note, make sure if you do purchase it, you get Zombies, run, not Zombie run, which is totally different and not nearly as fun.)
 I made the mistake of getting Zombie run first, which is basically just a map that runs off GPS and shows you spots of zombie outbreaks that you have to avoid.  I did not realize the difference in the two apps until I got to the beach, however, and wouldn't you know it, when I tried to download Zombies, run, it was too big to send over a mobile network and you needed to be connected to Wi-Fi.  Fantastic..... Luckily, I knew the Swampscott library was in the direction I was running anyways, and I was pretty sure they had free Wi-Fi.
I started my run down the beach towards Swampscott, making it the 1.5 miles in just about 15 minutes.  Once I made it towards town, I was able to siphon off someone's internet just enough to get the app installed.  What can I say, I was really dedicated to trying this out.  Anything to make running more fun.  I did, however, shut off my Charity Miles while I used it because I wasn't sure how much battery power I would need and I didn't want to lose my music on the way back.
Once I successfully installed the app I took a few seconds to look it over.  In order to use the app, you have to run missions, starting, clearly, at the beginning.  You can change settings so that zombies chase you, or you can turn that off and enjoy your run time.  The app also works with your playlist as long as your playlist is saved on your phone.  Mine wasn't, as it streams through Google Music, so that was a bummer, but I was able to play the music while the app was running, and it didn't interfere to much.  Later I downloaded my playlist to my phone so I hope it works better next time.
As you start your workout, you hear some people talking in what sounds like a helicopter.  Suddenly there's a panic as they see a person on the ground with a rocket launcher, who, of course, shoots down the chopper.  There's a big crash and the radio operator isn't sure if there's anyone left, so he starts talking, telling you, if you can hear him, to run to the tower.  (You don't have to be looking at the map, just run/walk and you'll be going in the right direction.)  Along the way, you pick up some supplies, which I guess you need to complete more missions.  I would say there are about 1/4 mile intervals when they come on and talk to you, telling you to watch out for zombies (if zombie chase is on,) or asking you to stop by another spot and pick something up.  Again, you don't have to look at the map or change direction.  UNLESS you are outrunning zombies.  If he tells you there are zombies 100 meters away, you better go in a different direction.  That's why the zombie chase is an option instead of a requirement.
My favorite part was when the operator came back and "noticed" that there was a runner out there that was following his directions.  He gets really pumped for you, tells you you're doing great, and encourages you to keep going.  Now, since I had already done 1.5 and it was getting dark, I only did 1.5 back to the car.  I'm not sure how much longer I had to go actually, but just as I was getting back to the car, he had come back on and was telling me that he was going to call me Runner number 5.  No idea if that's general for everyone, or if I just happened to get number 5, so if you use the app, let me know! You can stop the mission when you're done running though, even if the mission hasn't completed, and come back to it next time.
In summary, this app is fantastic. I had a lot of fun running and suddenly it was like everyone on the beach was a zombie.  I really felt like I was in a movie/game, and I definitely got pumped when I made checkpoints and collected supplies.  So far I have a radio, an axe, and two medical kits.  I have no idea what any of this is for, but as soon as I find out, I'll let you know.  The only downside I've found so far is that I can't see a place for it to record mileage/speed. Hopefully I can run this with Charity Miles without killing my battery, because I really don't want to give up either one now.    As a bonus, I've included some screenshots from the app so you can see a bit about it.  Enjoy!

Time

As I've mentioned quite often, I have been slacking in the running department.  At first, I was all, oh well, I ran 9 miles on Sunday, so it's okay if I skip a day or two.  Then I was all, oh well, 2 miles is close enough to 3 for today.  Eventually I was all, oh, it's snowing out, can't run outside today.... In the end, all that really happened was me skipping way more days of running than I was supposed too.  This week I remembered that the Wild Rover 5K was today, so I decided to make sure I got in a run or two.  As I said, I went with Morty one day and apparently thought that was enough, especially after the race was postponed.
I knew I needed to get back into my running routine so I decided to have at it this weekend.  I went for a 2.5 run yesterday, down by the beach, and let me tell you, it was terrible.  The weather itself wasn't too bad, a little bit windy, but nothing extreme.  My problem was the actual running.  I felt as if I was dying by the end, and then I found out it was only 2.5.  I know, I brought this upon myself, but it was still a bummer to see that on the Charity Miles.  The good part is that it only took me 26 minutes, so my time hasn't really changed all that much.  The moral of this story is to NEVER, NEVER skip more than a few days of running or else you will regret it when you try to get back into it.
In order to make sure I can run the 4 miler next weekend, I know I have to run at least 3 times this week, at least 3 miles each time.  Today I went for a run around the neighborhood, which ended up also being 2.5. This time I hit the hills too though, because apparently there's a large hill in the race next weekend.  So, my plan is to go to run the beach or the lake at least 3 times, if not more.
By the way, it really is a good thing the city postponed the race due to snow. Or, it would be, if it had actually snowed....  It is unfortunate, because a lot of events were cancelled on the Northshore and as it turns out, they needn't have been.  However, it IS snowing now, and it looks like the storm is actually growing larger as the night goes on, so it could actually be a problem tomorrow.  I'm not meteorologist, so I have no idea really.  Then again, neither do they.

Friday, Friday

Vacation week is, sadly, over.  Now, I didn't have much of a vacation because I was hanging with Morty all week, but I know some teachers really dread the Monday after vacay, so I'm just throwing that out there for them.  Remember how I said I was going to go running today?  I ate pizza instead.  With a side of cinnamon bites.  I know, I know, terrible.  Tomorrow though, I really am going out running again.  My goal is to get out in the morning and get at least 3 miles in, if not more.  After all, next weekend is the 4 miler and apparently there is a rather large hill in it.  Wish I had seen that before this week actually.  I might have spent more time running hills if I knew that was the case.  The following weekend I have two races, Saturday and Sunday, as I'm sure I've mentioned already.  Lucky for me, I purchased some of those sports beans a few weeks ago at Dicks, so it will be a good time to find out how well they actually work, if at all.
There was something that I wanted to write about yesterday, but I forgot about it when I updated.  Now that I'm back there though, of course, I've completely forgotten what it was again.  Since I can't think of anything more exciting to write about at the moment, here are some pictures/video from my week with Morten.  I know he's adorable, but please, no stealing these bad boys.  K thanks.

This is my favorite.  He looks super suspicious.

Hey out there

I've been a bit busy, so there hasn't been much time to write.  Also, if I'm being honest, I don't have much to write about.  I haven't really been out running due to the weather and the lack of clean sidewalks.  Say what you will, but when the snowbanks are 10 feet tall (not an exaggeration) I'm not up for running in the streets.  I'd rather be safe than dead.
Yesterday I did take Morty out for run.  The weather was nice, 45 degrees, and since we didn't have much else to do, I decided to run it out.  We went for a 2 miler around Natick which wasn't bad, except for the stroller part.  It is HARD to run and push a stroller.  Like, real hard.  I was surprised actually.  I don't know why, I just figured it would be easier than it was.  I think Morty had fun though, so that's really all that matters, plus I got my running in.
The first race for the Wild Rover is supposed to be on Sunday, which is why I wanted to get my running in this week, but it looks like it's supposed to snow again Saturday into Sunday.  We're talking another foot or so.  According to the Rover, the decision will be made by Friday whether the race is on or not.  We'll see I guess, but I really hope it doesn't get postponed.  I've been planning on running this race and I like it when things go according to plan.  Plus, there's a bunch of races coming up in the next few weeks, so I don't want to end up having two scheduled for the same day due to reschedules.
Like I said, there's not much goin

Oops

Apparently that new post from yesterday never went through. Sorry about that. I know you were on the edge of your seat dying to see what I had to say, so I apologize.  Rest assured you can now be fully caught up in all the details, that I care to share, about my life.
It looks like this snow is actually coming again this weekend too. Remember when the weathermen were always wrong? I miss that.  Due to the snow, race 1 of the Wild Rover series has been postponed until April 14.  It's kind of a bummer simply due to the fact that this was the 3 miler, so now, the next race I run will be a 4 miler instead.  Following that is the 5 miler and then the 3 miler the next weekend, March 9/10.  It should be fine though.  Right?  Ya, it'll be fine.
The bright side is that it's supposed to be pretty nice out tomorrow, high 30s, low 40s, so maybe I'll give the stroller running a second go.  We'll see how Morty is feeling.  Sadly, yes, my running revolves around a 3 year old this week.  I suppose at the worst, I'll run Saturday morning, it just won't be as warm.  Man, I cannot wait until it gets warm again. What I wouldn't give for some dry socks and some clear sidewalks.  Just a few more weeks, just a few more weeks.  I'm going to keep that up until I no longer have to say it anymore.  It will make it seem shorter.  I hope....

These are my confessions...

I haven't run since last Thursday.
I've eaten a lot of crap since then.
Ben and Jerry's Phish Food may be my downfall.
Having no school does nothing to help my workout regime.
Next week I get to watch Morty, which means there will be little time for running.

I think that's it though.  I'm super pumped that I get to watch Morty again.  I miss the little man so it will be nice to spend some time with him. However, the last time I watched him, he was still 2 and taking naps.  I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure 3 year olds don't take naps, which begs the question, what does one do with a 3 year old all day?  And I do mean all day.  I'll be watching him from 7:45 a.m. - 6 p.m. Tuesday - Friday.  You would think, being a teacher, I would have 1000 tricks up my sleeve. Alas, I do not.  Sure, I have a few ideas, the regular, arts and crafts, library, and stretches.  Other than that though, I'm out of ideas.  I'm sure I'll think of something though.
Since it has been almost an entire week since my last run, I'm a little concerned that I'll be out of shape again.  You may laugh at me, but it took me a long time to get up to 9 miles and one week could easily undo it all.  The food I've been eating isn't helping either.  I haven't been completely inactive.  There was shoveling to do, dogs to walk, and I did some pilates.  Hopefully this snow melts soon so that I can get back out there and run again.  Weather is the one downfall to not having a gym membership.  I don't mind running in heat, cold, or rain.  But I can't do ice and snow.  So here's hoping that there's at least a clear path on the sidewalks soon, so I can go back to running in peace (misery, whatever).

Clean-up time

Nemo found us, hit us hard, and then left.  The snow stopped around noon on Saturday, but the clean-up started long before that.  We don't have a snow blower, so all snow removal was done by hand.  Can I just tell you, shoveling never gets any easier, no matter how many years you've been doing it.  It starts out fine, maybe even fun, but by the end, you're wet, it's miserable, and everything aches.  When there's 23 inches of snow covering your cars, it's no joke either. Today was better, but we went out to help shovel out a family friend, so we added 2 more hours of cardio to our day.
Due to the nature of the storm, there was a travel ban for 24 hours, from Friday to Saturday.  You couldn't drive and walking was almost impossible as well.  We made it through with full power, which was nice, as we had ourselves a Batman marathon!  After being inside basically all of Friday and Saturday, we ventured out when the ban lifted.  Ryan's truck has 4 wheel drive, so it was a breeze, really.  Lots of places were still not plowed out and many businesses were still closed today.  It was just nice to be able to get out of the house though.
We were supposed to go to the Jeff Mangum show in Providence tonight, but they rescheduled it for next Monday.  Sadly, we most likely will not be able to make that show.  I wish we could because I was looking forward to it, but I know it would be hard to get there in time after Ryan gets out of work and we wouldn't be home until late.  The snow has been keeping us busy here and I definitely was not able to even THINK about getting any running done in this weather, so there's not much to update on that front.  Instead, I'll leave you with some pictures of the blizzard. Enjoy!