Zombies, Run! Season 1 Mission 23

30:50 minutes - 2.05 miles - 15:01 min/mile

Nooooooooo! I thought the season finale would end with some answers, but everything is even more up in the air than before! Well, at least I can start Season 2 right away. There are currently 5 seasons out, so I can go for a while before I run out of story. It looks like the following seasons are longer (Season 2 is 45 missions, plus 16 side missions and 3 Halloween missions), so they'll last me longer than Season 1 did. Although Season 5 only has 20 missions currently, so maybe they're still working on that one.

Anyway, it was a good run. Bettered my pace by one second over my last run! Heh. There was one zombie chase, at 24 minutes, which I evaded before they got within 50 meters.

I decided to use the app's music player instead of playing music externally, to make it a little less complicated. You have to select an already-created playlist; fortunately, I had made up several playlists for use with the Galloway app (which I don't think I ever used, I always used to make up playlists for the day's run on the spot), so I used the Prince of Darkness one, which is basically the soundtrack to John Carpenter's Prince of Darkness, plus, I think, another album of horror tv/movie themes. I love listening to Prince of Darkness while I run—it has a sort of hypnotic quality that keeps you going without being too distracting. It's also good zombie story accompaniment! The whole album is nearly two hours long, so it's good for long runs. Lately, I never get through it all, but when I start half-marathon training again, it will be handy.

Zombies, Run! Season 1 Mission 22

35:05 minutes - 2.33 miles - 15:02 min/mile

Another cliffhanger! Next one's the season finale, though, so I'll finally find out what happens to Abel Township.

I skipped running on Wednesday, as well as taking my usual day off Thursday, because I'd bought a window swamp cooler on Tuesday afternoon and spend Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning installing it. It's a huge thing (87 pounds) and I had to lift it in and out of the window numerous times before I got it right, so I got plenty of exercise without running on those two days. So that leaves the finale for tomorrow.

There were two zombie chases today, at 2 and 16 minutes. I was very glad I'd decided to walk a couple of laps to warm up before starting the mission when that first chase came! I wasn't even really warmed up then, my right hamstring (which never really completely healed after I strained it nearly a year ago while training for Long Beach) was stiff and I couldn't really sprint, so the zombies got within 50 meters before I evaded. But the second chase I evaded before they got within 50 meters, and that one felt better. I walked a little after both chases.

I felt kind of slow and blah today, but my time says not. Splits were 14:46, 14:53, and 15:35. I don't know if I really slowed down that much in my last .33 miles, but I was feeling tired. It would be nice to do a run with an overall pace under 15 minutes. My pace has been steadily getting a little faster and it's close now.

Zombies, Run! Season 1 Mission 21

31:13 minutes - 2.03 miles - 15:21 min/mile

Well, that was a bit of a cliffhanger! Now I want to run the next mission right away. Heh. Have to wait until tomorrow. (And then take a day off and wait until Thursday for the season finale... unless I get impatient and run on Thursday!)

Felt pretty good today, woke up at quarter to six and lazed in bed until the 6 AM beep. Today's mission was 29 minutes, but I didn't adjust it, just ran an extra lap after the mission to make up my two miles. There were no zombie chases during the mission, but one right after, which I evaded without letting them get within 50 meters! Go me! Even managed to keep running after the chase, although I didn't quite finish the lap I was running—I'd already done two miles, and was coming up on the hill at the top of the driveway, so I decided it was good enough.

My splits were 15:30 and 15:02. Still faster in the second half. Hm. Although the GPS distances aren't completely accurate, the second split has pretty consistently been faster than the first, so I think there might be something there. Before, I thought it was from walking the first lap, but these last few runs I've been walking my warmup laps before the mission, and running as soon as the mission starts. Probably I'm still just warming up during the first mile.

I walked two laps before starting the mission, and a lap and a bit after. I think the walking does help. I've been feeling better this week, after having a rough time last week. I think my mood is better, after planning some outings and getting out of the house for some fun. I'm excited about doing the Disneyland Star Wars Half Marathon in January.

Zombies, Run! Season 1 Mission 20

30:48 minutes - 2.04 miles - 15:07 min/mile

Back to the zombies! This season's story line is really starting to heat up. Only three more missions to go in Season 1, so I'll finish it this week.

I somehow slept right through the 6 AM beep on my phone, but woke up around 6:15 AM anyway and got up. Yesterday was a draggy day; I hadn't slept well and ended up sleeping in until after 8 AM. I guess I was tired enough to sleep well last night and feel fine today (so far)!

Today, I decided to walk a couple of laps before and after the mission to warm up and cool down. Probably a good idea, especially since my back and right hamstring were twinging this morning when I got up. Must have slept wrong, or maybe strained myself a little doing yoga last night. Anyway, I felt fine once I got going. There were two zombie chases today, at 3 and 18 minutes, both of which I evaded and managed to keep running after. My split times were 14:48 and 15:10, so I slowed a bit in the second mile. I have to remind myself, though, that the GPS isn't entirely accurate on these short loops around the house, so there's a margin of error on those times.

After thinking about it, I decided that it's just too hot to start training for a half marathon—it's been in the 90s for most of the summer, and is only going to be getting hotter through August, and I don't want to be out running long runs in the heat. Just now, I was checking out the Zombies, Run! training plans, and they have a half marathon training program that pretty much follows the daily schedule I'm doing now—shorter runs Mon, Tues, Wed, Fri and a long run on Saturday. Hm. Not now, though. Maybe I'll try it for a late winter/spring half marathon when I can start training in November or so. I've still never done a Disney half marathon. Last year they had one in January; if they do that again, I think I'll sign up for it!

Edit: Well, allrighty, I checked and the Disneyland Star Wars Half Marathon is January 15, 2017, and registration is open, so I went ahead and registered. If I use the Zombies, Run! 12 week half marathon training plan, I'll need to start training the week of October 24. It will be interesting to try a different training plan—one that has runs 5 days a week instead of 3 days a week, like Jeff Galloway's schedule. Not sure how that will work out, but I'll find out starting in October! If it's too much, I can always cut back after a few weeks. I'm excited! I've been wanting to do one of Disneyland's half marathons for years, and now I'm finally going to do it!

Saturday

36:22 minutes
2.41 miles
15.1 min/mile

Welp, I didn't feel like running from zombies today, so I used my half marathon training app and picked one of the midweek 30-minute runs, with a run/walk ratio of 2 minutes running/1 minute walking. It went pretty well. Even walking one minute for every two running, I kept up a 15 minute mile pace and felt good.

Using the half marathon app reminded me that if I'm still thinking about doing the Big Sur Half Marathon in November, I'd better work up a schedule and see when I have to start training for it. Turns out, pretty much next week.

Hm, I'm still not sure if I'm going to do the Big Sur Half. If I do, I might have some problems scheduling training around the end of September/first of October—I've got the Miramar Air Show (probably) Sept 24 and a weekend at Disneyland October 1-2. One week I could skip, but not both. I guess I could run at Disneyland, but I might not have energy to walk around all day having fun if I do!

Well, I can think about that later. Meanwhile, I should start doing the training so if I do decide to do the half, I'll be ready.

Zombies, Run! Season 1 Mission 19

30:56 minutes - 2.03 miles - 15:16 min/mile

Bleah, bad day today. I woke up at 4 AM, couldn't get back to sleep, was just drowsing off when the alarm went off. I decided I wasn't going to run, lay there for another 15 minutes, then finally got up and got myself going in spite of myself. I felt logy the whole time, was sure I was going to have a slow run, but it seems I kept up my pace. There was one zombie chase, which I evaded right after they got within 50 meters. I tried to keep running, but was breathing hard and running sloppy, so I walked most of the next lap. I thought I was slowing down, but my splits were 15:21 and 15:00.

I finally found out that I can adjust the length of my missions! There's a cog beside the mission time you can click that gives you mission parameters you can adjust. Today's mission was default 29 minutes, so I adjusted it to 30 minutes to get closer to my 2 miles total distance. (You can also adjust it to go by distance, but time is good enough if you know your pace.) I was at 1.94 miles when the mission ended, but just finishing the lap I was on got my distance up to 2 miles. Cool.

I stopped the mission when I finished the lap, but then went ahead and walked a lap to cool down. I haven't been doing cool-down walks since I started using Zombies, Run!, but one of the things I read said that walking after a run helps the blood pressure come back up, so we'll see if that helps. My other running app always had me do a 3-minute walk before and after each run, which was probably a good idea. Maybe I'll start doing that again.

My allergies were awful today, too. It's hard to run well when you can't breathe. I took a pill when I got up, but it didn't really have time to take effect until after I finished running.

Wednesday

19 laps
31:18 minutes

Blah. Had a bad case of the "Don't want to"s today. Slept in an extra 20 minutes and finally decided to go ahead and run, but I didn't feel like being chased by zombies, so I just ran with my sport watch and counted laps. I walked the first lap and then ran the rest of the way, and made pretty good time despite myself. Now I'm done I have a bit of a headache. I feel like I slept okay, but didn't get much rest.

Possibly running three days in a row is a bit too much. Looks like last week I also slept in until 6:30. It's also possible that Wednesday mornings I feel out of sorts because Tuesdays are Mom days and they often get me down. Mom is not doing well these days and it's hard to see her fading away. But there's nothing that can be done about that, so I'll just have to carry on. And give myself an extra half hour's sleep on Wednesdays, nothing wrong with that.

Zombies, Run! Season 1 Mission 18

30:15 minutes - 2.07 miles - 14:38 min/mile

Whew. Two zombie chases today, fairly close together, at 15 and 22 minutes. Again, I was running faster overall, so it was harder to increase my speed enough to evade, especially with the second chase, when I was already tired. After the first chase, I had enough energy to keep running, but I walked a lap after the second. I think the zombies were almost within 20 meters before I finally evaded them—I could hear the proximity beeps speeding up. It doesn't help that my sinuses are so clogged, I can't get enough air through my nose when I start breathing hard, so I have to breathe through my mouth.

But anyway, my pace was good and I had a good run. Chilly this morning, too. It seems the shadows over the driveway are getting longer already. As the days get shorter, I might be able to shift my runs to 6:30 and get a little more sleep! I slept well last night, though, and woke up a few minutes before 6 AM and was ready to go.

I put a bottle of water out on my truck's back bumper so I could grab a swallow about halfway through. Don't know if it helped but I did feel thirsty. My blood pressure was low yesterday after I ran, but later in the afternoon, after I'd had plenty of time to recover, it was even lower, so it wasn't just the run giving me problems.

I was just looking at my earlier runs and seeing how much my times have improved since I started running. I always think I should be running 15 minute miles or less, so I don't feel like I'm improving, but I started out at closer to 17 minute miles and now I'm approaching 14:30, so I'd say I'm doing pretty well!

Zombies, Run! Season 1 Mission 17

 

30:05 minutes - 2.06 miles - 14:37 min/mile

Good run today. I was trying to run a bit faster today, and I did, but my concern was that if a zombie chase came along, I wouldn't be able to increase my speed enough to evade. There was a chase at 19 minutes, and it was harder to evade—they got within 50 meters a bit before I finally evaded them, and I was out of breath enough that I walked a bit afterwards. But I did evade them, and my time was good, so it worked out all right.

It was another short mission, so I ran an extra lap to make it to 2 miles. Didn't run long enough to get any more of the radio show, though.

I slept in until 7:30 AM yesterday, but felt fine and rested when I did get up. The alarm at 6 AM was a bit of a shock, but I got up and did my run. It was chilly this morning—wore long leggings and short-sleeved shirt and the wind was cold. Not so much that I ever wished I had a jacket on, but I never really got hot either.

I was reading online yesterday about low blood pressure after running or during a long run, which I think has been my problem when I run out of steam. I felt fine during my three-mile run on Saturday, but was fatigued and lightheaded for most of the rest of the day after, so it's going to be a problem even with shorter runs. It seems to be a combination of things—it's mainly a result of dehydration, but if you sweat a lot, you can also lose electrolytes, so just drinking water isn't enough, you also have to replace electrolytes. One site recommended drinking 5 oz of water every 15–20 minutes while exercising in the heat, which is way more than I've been drinking. I don't usually bring water on a run unless I'm going to be out for more than an hour. But it looks like I should be drinking every mile. And either use electrolytes in my water (I don't usually because it makes me queasy, but I might try different things and see if I can find one that doesn't) or start using electrolyte gummies or gels early and often.

Zombies, Run! Season 1 Mission 16

 45:36 minutes - 3.08 miles - 14:48 min/mile

I decided to go to the park to run today, and do the whole 3-mile loop. Today's mission was 40 minutes long, so it was a good day for a longer run! I got up around 5:30 AM—didn't set the alarm, just woke up and saw that it was 5:30 and if I was going to go to the park to run, I should go ahead and get up. Futzed around and didn't hit the road until almost 6 AM, but still got to the park by 6:15 and was able to finish at around 7:05.

There were two chases today. The first was at 29 minutes—near the end of mile 2, which is the uphill mile of the loop and I was already getting tired, but I still managed to evade the zombies. I was nearly at the turnaround at the top of the hill when the chase was over, and I'd decided to take a short walk after each mile, anyway, so I went ahead and walked the rest of the way to the turnaround.

The second chase came at 34 minutes, but since it was downhill and I'd just had a walk break, it was easier. I didn't take a walk break when it was over, didn't even slow down right away. After the mission was completed, I still had about 5 minutes to go to reach the parking lot, so I got a bit more of Jack and Eugene's radio show at the end.

My mile splits were 14:44, 15:56, and 13:33. Which makes sense—Mile 1 is half downhill, half up; Mile 2 is uphill, and Mile 3 is downhill. Pleased with that 13:33, though. That was downhill, one zombie chase, and no walk breaks. Too bad I can't go that fast all the time!

Zombies, Run! Season 1, Mission15

33:38 minutes - 2.16 miles - 15:35 min/mile

Fun run today! Runner 5 went on a mission to pick up some games for the people at Abel Township, so it was a lighthearted run. There was one zombie chase at 13 minutes, which I evaded fairly easily. I didn't quite remember to keep running after it was over, but I only walked maybe 10 steps.

It was a shortish mission, so I ran an extra two laps to get my distance up to 2 miles—and discovered a hidden track! I guess if you keep running after the mission for long enough, you get Jack and Eugene's radio show. Heh. That's cool, they keep on entertaining you if you want to run longer.

Yesterday was my day off from running, so I slept in an hour and felt more revived. I was wondering if I should just start getting up at 7 AM to run, since I have such a hard time getting enough sleep when I get up at 6 AM. But I slept well last night and got up at 6 this morning feeling pretty good, so I guess my one day of rest got me back on track. And it was already getting hot while I was out there this morning, so I think running at 7 AM would be harder.

Zombies, Run! Season 1 Mission 14

30:39 minutes - 2.03 miles - 15:08 min/mile

Well, sometime later yesterday, an email wandered in that had the image attached! So, it does work after all. And here's today's. I decided to write in the time/distance/pace anyway, because images sometimes get broken. Heh. I fuss so much with the format of this blog, which nobody reads but me, so I don't know why I care! (Actually, my stats do show one or two visitors to most pages, so it seems a few random strangers do drop by now and then. So, hello there, random stranger! Enjoy your visit!) But it's a good record for me to keep track of my runs, to remember what works and what doesn't, and see what progress I'm making.

Anyway. Today's run. No chases! Kind of nice for a change. I slept in a little today and didn't get out until 6:30-ish. I've stopped using my alarm because I have a medication reminder that dings me at 6 AM, so that wakes me up. But it doesn't get me up—I don't have to grab my phone and shut it off, or set the snooze alarm, or anything. It's too easy to just lie there and go back to sleep.

It was one of the shorter missions, so I decided to keep running after it ended so I could get my distance up to 2 miles. I felt like I was slow today, but my pace was good. Splits were 15:04 and 15:00. I'm pleased that I can now run two miles without any walk breaks—as long as there are no chases. (Even though my pace isn't any faster than it is when I do run/walk intervals, which is kind of annoying.) Today I'd decided to try to keep running after a chase, instead of walking a lap, but there weren't any, so I didn't get to see how that went. Maybe next time! I also want to try going to the park one Saturday soon and doing a 3-mile run.

Zombies, Run! Season 1 Mission 13

29:17 min - 1.94 miles - 15:04 min/mile

I tried to figure out how to make the app post the tagline and graphic of my run into my blog... or copy the graphic to my notes or an email or something and paste it into the blog... I kind of got it to work, but the graphic didn't copy. I probably need to upload it somehow and I'm not sure how to do that. Yesterday I posted it to my Twitter but I'd rather not leave it there. Maybe I could post it to Twitter, copy it here, then delete it from Twitter? I dunno. Probably more trouble than it's worth. But the graphic is kind of cool, I'd like to figure out how to use it here. Maybe futz with it some more later.

Good run today, only one zombie chase, which I evaded after they got within 50 meters. The chase was at 22 minutes and I was a bit tired, plus I was running counterclockwise today and hit the steep hill at the top of my driveway near the end of the chase—that always slows me down. Still, I got away!

Edit: After lots of futzing around trying to get my iPhone paired to my computer over Bluetooth, and after that failed trying to email the graphic to myself, which also failed, I finally just posted to Twitter and grabbed the image from there. I don't know why Bluetooth didn't work, I might try to troubleshoot that. Or just keep posting to Twitter, it's not like I have a lot of followers to alienate with it.

Zombies, Run! Season 1 Mission 12

32:06 min - 2.17 miles - 14:46 min/mile

Good time today! There was only one zombie chase, right at the end. I'd just started a lap when the mission ended, and decided to go ahead and finish the lap—and then the chase started. Since I was going to run the lap anyway, I went ahead and ran the chase. I was a bit tired after running two miles already, and the zombies got within 50 meters right before I evaded, but I did evade them, and finished up my run with a burst of speed!

My split times were 15:02, 14:38, and 12:51—of course, that last split was only 0.17 mile, and included the chase, so I guess that shows me how fast I run when zombies are chasing me!

It was a bit chilly this morning for a change, so I wore my jacket when I started out, but after a couple of laps I was warmed up and didn't need it. I was thinking I'd hang it on the post next time around, and the thought hit me—I can't leave it out in the open, the zombies will get it! Heh. Had to remind myself there were no actual zombies in my yard.

We've had a break in the heat, but by Wednesday it's supposed to be back in the 90s again. I guess it's a good thing I'm not trying to train for a long race this summer. I was planning to do Big Sur in November, but I haven't registered for it. I should figure out when I'd need to start training for it, if I'm really going to do it.

Zombies, Run! Season 1 Mission 11

32:48 minutes - 2.14 miles - 15:17 min/mile

Pretty good run today, despite not getting a whole lot of sleep last night, either. Better than the night before, though. I wore earplugs to bed and just ignored any noises.

There were three zombie chases today, at 9, 14, and 27 minutes. I evaded each time without too much trouble. I wonder if some of the chases are built into the missions. They don't always seem to be completely random. I suspect some are coded to take place at certain points, if you have chases enabled.

Another day off tomorrow. I feel better today than I did last Saturday—now that I've adjusted to getting up at 6 AM, I think five runs a week is going to work out, as long as I don't exhaust myself with chases.

Zombies, Run! Season 1 Mission 10

 29:12 minutes - 1.84 miles - 15:53 min/mile

A shortish mission today. I set the zombie chases to 2 per hour and got none at all, which is fine by me! About time I got a run with less than the average setting, rather than more. With no chases, I ran the whole mission, after my warm-up lap. Pleased that I can run almost two miles without taking any breaks or slowing down appreciably. Split times were 15:43 and 15:48. Overall not my best time, but still under 16 minutes. (Again, overall pace is slower than my split times? How does that work?)
I didn't sleep well last night—stupid mouse got into the wall between the bathtub and the vanity cabinet and was scritching and gnawing and chittering all night. I kept getting up to pound the floor and walls around it to try to chase it away, or at least make it quiet down, but it only stopped for a few minutes and then started making noise again. I finally put in earplugs and managed to sleep some, but I doubt I got more than 6 hours total. Felt okay for my run, but will probably want a nap this afternoon.

Day off running yesterday—I let myself sleep in until 7 AM, but still felt low energy and blah all day. Should have got up and gone for a walk or something. I did take a walk in the afternoon, around 1 PM. It was in the mid-80s and the sun was hot, but since I was only walking I figured I could handle it. Listened to a guided meditation while I walked and called it my meditation for the day.

Zombies, Run! Season 1 Mission 9

33:52 minutes - 2.20 miles - 15:25 min/mile

I think I'm finally getting adjusted to getting up at 6 AM, and going to bed earlier. I need to get my evening stuff wrapped up earlier, so I'm done with cat feeding, dishes, etc by 8 PM, so I can just sit and relax for a while, and not get caught up in a bunch of last-minute, "oops, I forgot to..." chores before heading for bed. Then I can read a bit and get to sleep before 10 PM.

I had a good run today. There were three zombie chases—one just as I was finishing my warm-up lap, before I'd even started to run! The last one they got within 50 meters, but I evaded just after that. I think it was a good idea to cut my required speed back to 15%. I'm still having to work to evade, but not quite as hard, so I don't get completely wiped out—especially since 2.5 chases per hour still seems to translate to three in 30 minutes sometimes. My split times were 15:19, 15:16, and 14:58, so it looks like I was actually getting a bit faster, or at least not slowing down over the run. (Hm, how is it that my overall pace is slower than any of my splits? Some kind of computational hijinks going on there.)

So. Runner 8. I'm still not convinced she's not up to something, but I'm starting to think she's ok. Now I'm starting to wonder about Janine.

Zombies, Run! Season 1 Mission 8

36:28 minutes - 2.35 miles - 15:32 min/mile

Okay, my split times are messed up because just after I finished my warm-up lap, I had to run back into the house to use the bathroom. I put the mission on pause, but I think it only paused the story and not the timer, because my split times are 17:44, 15:02, and 15:32. I know I started out slow, but not that slow! That 17:44 must include my 2-minute bathroom break. The overall pace of 15:32 seems right, though, so I guess it took that into account? I dunno.

Anyway, I was still feeling kind of tired and slow today. I adjusted my zombie chases to 2.5 per hour and 15% increase in speed to evade, and there was only one chase in today's run, which I evaded fairly easily. I might put the speed back up to 20% later, but I feel a bit worn out and want to recover a bit. Five runs a week might be too much, maybe this week I'll just do four. But I'll see how it goes. I started out with so much energy last week, but by the time Sunday rolled around I was ready to crash, and yesterday, although I did do my run, I spend the rest of the day napping and eating and reading and feeling exhausted. Can't do that today, though, I've got to go into town and get some stuff done, so I hope my day of rest yesterday was enough to get me back on track.

Zombies, Run! Season 1, Mission 7

39:57 minutes - 2.50 miles - 15:58 min/mile

Okay, I checked my zombie chases before I set out, and the frequency was set to average 3 chases per hour—which, on a 30 minute run should be one or two, right? So I figured four—with a fifth right at the end—was just a statistical outlier, and left it set at three. And today I got four again, at 12, 19, 31, and 38 minutes. It was a slightly longer mission, but still. Four in 40 minutes is a lot more than three in an hour! Oh well. I managed them all pretty well. The first two I evaded before the zombies got within 50 meters. The third was the hardest, the zombies got within 20 meters but I still evaded them. Then the last chase was fairly easy again, I think because I walked almost the whole 7 minutes in between! I didn't mean to—I always walk about a lap after a chase to catch my breath, but this time I forgot to start running again. I remember thinking, I'm feeling pretty good after that last chase! and then realizing I was still walking. The next chase came soon after I started running again. Heh.

My time was a bit slower today, although still under 16 minutes. I was feeling kind of tired and blarghy today. The good thing was, I didn't really slow down during the run. My mile splits were 15:45, 15:53, and 15:48. I forgot to turn the music on before I started the mission, so I decided to just run in silence today. It was kind of nice for a change, and suited the lonely nighttime atmosphere of the mission—just me running for base in the dark, with nothing but Sam's voice to keep me going.

The mornings have been a bit chillier these past few runs. Still good to get my runs in before the sun gets hot.

Zombies, Run! Season 1, Mission 6

32:06 minutes - 2.16 miles - 14:53 min/mile

Good time today! And so many zombie chases! There were four today—and there was about to be a fifth that started right after the "Mission completed" message, so I quick-like stopped the run because no way I was going to run another chase!

The first chase was just about five minutes into the mission, and I evaded easily, before the zombies even got within 50 meters. The second chase was at 14 minutes, and it was a bit harder than the first one, but again I managed to evade before the zombies got within 50 meters, and the third one as well, which was at 20 minutes and was pretty hard—I started to get clumsy by the end and lengthened stride for the last few strides, because I heard the motion detector beep start to speed up. Made myself promise not to do that again, must try to keep form even when the zombies are breathing down my neck. (Or groaning, I guess, zombies don't breathe!)

The fourth chase was at 27 minutes, and I was careful to keep form. I did get the "Zombies at 50 meters" message, but evaded right after that. Whew! I'm sure it was just random that I got so many this time, but maybe I should change the settings to make the chases a bit farther apart.

On the other hand, four chases, and I evaded them all, and even did it without letting the zombies within 50 meters on the first three. That's the first time I've done that. So the chases are definitely improving my running ability.

Zombies, Run! Season 1, Mission 5

35:32 minutes - 2.13 miles - 16:39 minutes/mile

Okay, my pace was off today, but partly that was because I forgot to stop the app at the end so I was just sitting there for a bit before it stopped timing me, and partly because I started out running clockwise and was halfway down the driveway when I remembered I'd run clockwise the last two missions and turned around and went back to run the other way—I'm sure it confused the GPS and probably lost me some distance. Otherwise, I felt like I was running a good pace. There was one zombie chase, which I evaded, just after the zombies got to within 50 meters. (I finally found the place in the app where you can set how fast you have to run to evade the zombies—default is 20% faster than your usual pace. I left it at that, since I'm managing it now. I have to really work to evade them, but I can do it. That's as it should be, I think.)

It wasn't until I woke up yesterday morning that I decided I didn't want to run that day. I got up at 6 AM anyway and did some yoga and went for a walk instead. I've already gotten into the habit of starting my day with some time outside, and I have the urge to go out even when I'm not running. So I guess it's 5 days a week! That's plenty, especially since I'm also doing daily yoga and working on my shed most days as well.

Today, I was a bit tired. I didn't sleep well, woke up at 4:30 and barely slept after that. But I felt okay running. It was a fun mission today, warning some people that a huge horde of zombies was coming their way. I still don't trust Runner 8, though.