I think by now I have successfully managed to use up any patience or goodwill my real and virtual friends have had with me regarding my running regime by telling everyone how much I enjoyed running and how much I ran and that they all just *had* to know about those zombies that chase me. So I think I will not post on facebook anymore about the number items I have managed to collect or show copies of my base on my phone to those poor souls who actually happen to meet me in person. If I do, just slap me.
But this is MY blog, so I can post as much as I want about running, collecting underwear and escaping 16 zombies. If you don't want to hear about any of this, you can stop reading now, I will not hold it against you. I do understand that it might bore some people and totally frustrate others who think that somehow I am trying to tell them that really exercising is easy and they should get their buttocks into gear and lose those flabby bits.
Well, rest assured, I don't proselytise. I love running and I like talking about it but I honestly do not expect any of you to follow my example. I know firsthand that exercise can be boring and tedious until you actually find something that you enjoy, for whatever reason. Some people like to be on a team or build muscles or learn new complicated moves and they will choose some kind of activity that gives them the fun they are looking for.
Running is a very repetitive movement, too much actually to qualify as proper exercise. In all reality, I should be doing some other exercise alongside to even pretend reaping any kinds of health benefits. So I do not run because I want to be fit or I want to lose weight or I want to be healthy. I run because I need to. It gives me a headspace like nothing else does. It frees my mind to wander wherever it wants while my body provides the framework for it. I don't run until I am tired because then I'd stop after 30 seconds. I run until I start smiling and that can take anywhere between 30 and 45 minutes. Or more.
I am not a good runner. I don't run gracefully or fast. I just run. Although truth be told, these last few zombie chases I discovered that actually I can do pretty nifty running and at a rather good pace, reaching 18km/h when needed. But that is only for a few seconds before slumping back into a rather comfortable 8-9km/h cruising speed. And yes, I have an app that does the maths and stats for me, thankfully.
So now regarding that app... it is pretty great. It is called Zombies, Run! and it combines a game with a running regime. It tracks me with GPS, provides stats on where I went and how fast, sets zombies on my trail and lets me collect items to build my base, such as underwear and fuel. It is loads of fun and perfect for people who think that running is boring. It gets me to run 40 minutes and come back thinking "gee, that was such a short run". Best of all, I ran 10km the other day collecting supplies, the most I have ever run in my whole entire life. On the downside, I must say that it is harder to "zone out" when I am getting chased by random zombies and my teammate is developing a cough that sounds like the first sign of turning into a zombie... "You know the drill, first a cough, then a moan..."
So, I love running and I love blogging. They are both a way for me to process reality and make sense of things. And today I managed to combine both. It will probably happen again, so please bear with me.
But this is MY blog, so I can post as much as I want about running, collecting underwear and escaping 16 zombies. If you don't want to hear about any of this, you can stop reading now, I will not hold it against you. I do understand that it might bore some people and totally frustrate others who think that somehow I am trying to tell them that really exercising is easy and they should get their buttocks into gear and lose those flabby bits.
Well, rest assured, I don't proselytise. I love running and I like talking about it but I honestly do not expect any of you to follow my example. I know firsthand that exercise can be boring and tedious until you actually find something that you enjoy, for whatever reason. Some people like to be on a team or build muscles or learn new complicated moves and they will choose some kind of activity that gives them the fun they are looking for.
Running is a very repetitive movement, too much actually to qualify as proper exercise. In all reality, I should be doing some other exercise alongside to even pretend reaping any kinds of health benefits. So I do not run because I want to be fit or I want to lose weight or I want to be healthy. I run because I need to. It gives me a headspace like nothing else does. It frees my mind to wander wherever it wants while my body provides the framework for it. I don't run until I am tired because then I'd stop after 30 seconds. I run until I start smiling and that can take anywhere between 30 and 45 minutes. Or more.
I am not a good runner. I don't run gracefully or fast. I just run. Although truth be told, these last few zombie chases I discovered that actually I can do pretty nifty running and at a rather good pace, reaching 18km/h when needed. But that is only for a few seconds before slumping back into a rather comfortable 8-9km/h cruising speed. And yes, I have an app that does the maths and stats for me, thankfully.
So now regarding that app... it is pretty great. It is called Zombies, Run! and it combines a game with a running regime. It tracks me with GPS, provides stats on where I went and how fast, sets zombies on my trail and lets me collect items to build my base, such as underwear and fuel. It is loads of fun and perfect for people who think that running is boring. It gets me to run 40 minutes and come back thinking "gee, that was such a short run". Best of all, I ran 10km the other day collecting supplies, the most I have ever run in my whole entire life. On the downside, I must say that it is harder to "zone out" when I am getting chased by random zombies and my teammate is developing a cough that sounds like the first sign of turning into a zombie... "You know the drill, first a cough, then a moan..."
So, I love running and I love blogging. They are both a way for me to process reality and make sense of things. And today I managed to combine both. It will probably happen again, so please bear with me.
