Fangirl Friday: Zombies Run!

You know, it's a fairly well documented thing in homeschooling circles (and I've already gushed about homeschooling!), but in February? Everything goes all weird. The blahs set in, you don't want to do anything, it's just a miserable time of year. Having a fangirl moment over anything in February is hard. Hell, John Barrowman could turn up at my door - or Colin O'Donoghue! - and I'd still have a hard time gushing over it. It's February, there's 18" of snow on the ground, and more falling from the sky.

Even better, I just signed up for a new $10/month bill. To a *gym*. I'm a month late, though, so I get the good deals. Thing is, though... I haven't dreaded going. I've been turning up to the gym with alarming regularity, not because I'm a glutton for punishment, and certainly not because I love an elliptical machine more than I do my nice, warm bed (with its Powerpuff Girls blanket!!). No. I've been going to the gym and putting in mile after mile on a machine... to hear *what happens next.*



You see, ages ago, I wanted to do a Couch to 5K. Heavens knows I'm good at the couch part. The 5K on the other hand?  Not so much. So, out I went to the park, jogging stroller at the ready, new running shoes... Yeah, it lasted about three weeks. Too hot, too muggy, too boring. Running around in circles for no good reason?  Bleh. Apparently, I'm not the only one who thinks so, either, because that's where Naomi Alderman and Six to Start come in. They've designed a couch to 5K app that has been so incredible, it's actually kept me going back to the gym!  The app is called Zombies, Run! and if you haven't seen it yet, you absolutely need to. You see, they figured out that people aren't running because it's dead boring to just hop on a treadmill, or run around the block all the time. So what did they do? They created a story!

Zombies, Run! is like an audiobook for running. It's the neatest thing - not only does it tell you a post-apocalyptic tale of WHY you're out busting your ass all the time, but it does it well. The characters are engaging, and you're a part of their story. You start off on a helicopter, being air-dropped into Abel Township. There are zombies pretty much everywhere. The township is fairly self-sufficient, but they do need more people - the live kind. In you go. Your helicopter is shot down! Shit, zombies, run for it!  From there, the staff at Abel Township take you in - and get you started training to be a real runner. Someone who makes a difference. Saving lives.

I've not made it to the end of the 5K yet, but I've made it a far sight better than I ever did prior, and I am more than a little sure being engaged in a story world where you get to be one of the primary heroes is a huge part of that success.  I'm super excited to see what happens next, to keep going - to keep running. And, even better? Once you finish your C25K, you can 'graduate' up to the regular Zombies, Run! game, which has over 200 missions to complete, letting you build a better and better base - which is, by the way, viewable via their Zombielink website, which lets you upload your workouts, crunch numbers, and look at how you did that day versus others. It's been nothing short of an adventure, and I've actually really enjoyed every minute of it so far! Running! And *not* from stray moose!  Who'd have thought?