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!