Category Archives: Fitness & Health

Zombies, Run! | Zombies, Run! 2.2 receives HUGE Living Base update!

Even though the paint isn’t even dry yet on ZombieLink Social, we have a lot more exciting Zombies, Run! updates for both iOS and Android users that we just can’t wait to show you. This new update to the app, which is available right now, is the biggest update we’ve released since the game was launched in April. Read on to find out how we’ve made the Zombies, Run! experience even better!

You have probably been wondering what those numbers at the top of the Zombies, Run! base screen mean. They’re your defence and morale ratings and you’re suddenly going to be paying them a lot more attention than you had before. That’s because we’ve just given Abel Township a shot of adrenaline and upgraded it to what we call a “living base”.

Players will receive gifts from people inside and outside of your base, giving you a small boost in supplies. However, Abel is also now under threat of zombie attack, so you may find that the undead have taken a bite out of your defence tower. Fixing this up will require spending a few supplies, so you’ll need to keep running to keep the people of Abel safe.

The Zombies, Run! news feed will alert you whenever these things take place, so check the app every morning to stay up to date with the comings and goings of your base.

Alongside the Living Base, we’ve also brought Radio Mode back to Zombies, Run! on iPhone and iPod Touch (Android users have had Radio Mode since April 26th).

We think you’ll be pretty pleased with the way we’ve implemented it, too. You can pick between starting your latest run by listening to either Season 1 radio mode (all Jack and Eugene, all the time) or Season 2 radio mode (Phil and Zoe). And if you manage to get to the end, simply hit “Restart mission” and you can start over from the beginning again.

But you won’t be running out of content any time soon, because we’ve just added a huge batch of new Radio dialogue. Jack and Eugene are back! Not only that, but we’ve been adding some context sensitive audio clips. So depending on the state of your base, or the happiness of the Township inhabitants, you may hear different snippets of dialogue. Keep an ear out for special clips that play only on certain days, too.

This update also includes a bunch of little tweaks and fixes for the iOS version, such as the ability to jump to the next unplayed mission straight from the app’s news screen. We’ve also expanded the distance estimation feature from the Race Missions so that they can be used in any mission. You’ll be able to choose a constant speed, as well as inputting your stride length so that, even without GPS, you’ll have a good idea of how far you’ve run.

If you’re using a treadmill, chances are you’ll already know how far you have run. So we’ve allowed you to input this distance into the app once the mission ends. Just click on the distance on the Mission End screen and you’ll be able to update the value manually. And, finally, you will now be told which buildings and upgrades you can now afford whenever you finish a mission.

Check out the App Store and Google Play Store for the full change logs for each version.

From Zombies, Run! | Zombies, Run! 2.2 receives HUGE Living Base update!.

366 Marathons In One Year…??

What’s one marathon when you can run 366? In one year? This is exactly what Denmark’s Annette Fredskov did.

After running two marathons on Sunday, the 41-year-old wife and mother completed her 365th and 366th 26.2-mile trips in one calendar year. The journey began July 15, 2012.

Fredskov said she began running three years ago after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She wanted to do something in spite of the disease, so she laced up a pair of shoes and started running.

“Three years ago, I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and today I have — without any medication — no problems or symptoms of MS,” Fredskov wrote on her website. “I believe that running marathons has played a large role in the fact that I am healthy today.”

Fredskov said she was skeptical of running a marathon at first, but she’s since grown to appreciate them. And that’s a good thing, since she just spent year running one every day.

“I thought the same thing most people think: ‘Running a marathon isn’t healthy. A marathon is damaging to the body and it takes a long time to recover,’” she wrote. “I have now changed my mind. Marathons are the best things that have happened for my body and soul.”

Most of her marathons took around five hours and were run around her hometown of Naestved, Denmark.

In case you’re wondering, 366 marathons equates to 9,589.2 miles.

via 366 Marathons In One Year…??.

Also, Annette is on Endomondo. I only know this because whenever she’s on a challenge she is a nightmare to beat. :P

ZR, miCoach, Endomondo

2 new PBs according to Endomondo of 1 km in 4:11 mins, and 1 mile in 7:07 mins. My Half Marathon training plan has finished, so I was originally going to go for a Half Marathon distance run today, but the heat was too much so I ended up running a lap through the park. Even though the run was in the evening, when it was cooler, it was still difficult going….

This is a Free Run, which means no target zones to worry about. On the plus side, miCoach also scores me. I scored 442. World Record, or top fitness is 1000, so I’m slightly below half ranked. Not too bad for my first run score ranking.

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ZR Race Missions

So, it would appear that unlike storyline missions, Race Missions are NOT considered storyline missions, even though they have information that connects the two seasons. As such, no materials are given during the missions. That’s a real bummer :(

Related articles

 

ZR, miCoach, Endomondo

Today’s run was meant to be a long run but with the weather being really hot, I decided against doing a long run today and went for the 30 minute run I missed from yesterday instead.

I tried the race mode on the ZR2 app today, and it clocked it relatively accurately at the 5K mark. But strangely, even though I finished the mission, I got no additional material to put on my base. Surely that’s wrong, since the missions are story-related?

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Zombies, Run! | Zombies, Run! Season Pass Summer Sale!

We’re celebrating the sunny British weather (as short-lived as it no doubt will be) with a Zombies, Run! Season Pass Summer Sale! All three Season Passes are available for half-price until Monday, July 15. Yes, even if the weather takes another turn for the rainy.

If you’re new to the game, this is the perfect opportunity to gain access to 30 already-released missions, plus another 30+ which we’ll be releasing on a weekly basis starting from Wednesday, July 30.

Season Pass: Now $1.99 (usually $3.99): Includes 40+ Season 2 Story Missions

Season Pass Plus: Now $3.99 (usually $7.99): Includes 60+ S2 Story Missions and Sidequests

Sidequest Pass: Now $2.99 (usually $5.99): Includes 20+ S2 Sidequests

So far, Season 2 has been packed full of great missions. From the profoundly epic, to the intimately daft. We’ve even had Margaret Atwood make a special guest appearance. As you need more incentive, completing certain missions will unlock new buildings and amenities for your Township. This will continue as we enter the second half of Season 2 in late July.

via Zombies, Run! | Zombies, Run! Season Pass Summer Sale!.

Poppy Run – Trent Park, North London: Not Happening

I’ve just been contacted by Jim Cowan, Event Director of the Poppy Run. I was originally hoping to run the Poppy Run through Trent Park, now it looks like it’s not going to happen.

Further to your recent enquiry, unfortunately, despite our best efforts, the London Barnet Poppy Run at Trent Park will not be taking place this year. We are looking for alternative venues nearby but it is unlikely we will do this for this year’s event.

Depending on where you live, other options are at the Isle of Dogs (London) or Welwyn Garden City. We are also awaiting confirmation on new Poppy Runs in Rickmansworth and SW London but won’t open them for entry until they are confirmed.

Are Women More Suited To Endurance Sports Than Men?

From Are Women More Suited To Endurance Sports Than Men?.

An interesting article. Might become heated, but well worth a read, here’s some excerpts:

Women, it now seems, might have been better equipped all along than men! At least that may be true as far as fuel is concerned when female endurance reserves are compared to those of the stronger men who were protecting the “weaker sex” as too delicate for such a grueling distance.

Whatever advantage women may possess probably doesn’t kick in until a running event gets at least as long as the marathon—anything 26.2 miles or over, or its equivalent in another sport. And if our theories are correct, the longer the event is, the greater the possible advantage is.

It may be a simple matter of fat stores—the increased body fat so many women athletes resent in themselves as some kind of deadweight, wishing it were muscle instead. We know that after about 18 miles of steady running, the body begins to get low on glycogen— hitting the famous “wall”—and turns increasingly to other energy stores to keep going. But only recently, thanks in part to increasing numbers of women ultra-athletes and the times they’re turning in, have we begun to suspect women may be more efficient at using that body fat early in a race and saving the glycogen for the long haul. A bigger tank and a more efficient fuel injection system? That could be.

Until now we’ve had only two major studies on the subject, and they conflict. But a recent one suggested that women may in fact have some way, not yet understood, of preferentially burning fatty acids better than men do. If that’s the case, and we factor in that ability with women’s greater body fat reserves, the implications are obvious. Assuming there is some glycogen sparing going on along the way, women might be able to get more out of that premium fuel than men do.

Even bottomless energy reserves wouldn’t do much good for the athlete who is too pooped to access them, however. Muscles get tired as they run out of fuel, but the brain also has a mechanism by which it tells our body that we are weary. And if some recent studies are correct, estrogen attaches to a neurotransmitter in the brain, and the combination may delay the fatigue message. The result: The body doesn’t feel as tired, so it doesn’t race as tired.

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So, a word of warning to marathoning men: Even postmenopausal women have more estrogen than you do! Remember that the next time you’re planning a really long workout and wonder whom to ask along to make you look good. Your female running friend may be slower, but she’s probably a bundle of potential energy. When it’s all over, you might be surprised to find that the “weaker sex” is you.