A decade later, Zombies, Run! and its new Marvel Move expansion are as great as ever

Inspired by the ZRX virtual race and a new campaign featuring heroes like Thor, Wolverine, and Captain America, I set a record for myself by running 5km.

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(Image source: Michael Hicks / Android Central)

Draft Zombies, Run! It's in the title itself. No Lives "Behind Your Back" introduces you to a redder run. I had no doubts about how the expansion of Marvel Move's licensed superhero plotline (launching in September) would fit into this issue. In fact, it turned out to be one of the best apps for the class, and it's not a waste!

Term Sunday (Image source: Android Central)

In his weekly column, Michael Hicks, senior editor of wearable devices and sports, defines the universe of smart time, apps, and fitness technologies related to running and wellness, trying to freeze it slimmer than ever before (and helping to arrange it in the same way).

Now renamed ZRX, the application "Zombies, Run!", which includes Marvel Move, goes beyond the champions of Zombies. Basically, these are radio dramas with absolute vocal accompaniment and sound effects, but they are offered to listen to short sequences that do not overload and distract you appropriately, after which you can return to your playlist or the sounds of nature.

Dive in and the situation itself will guide you to a more functional run, with the instructions of your friend (virtual) runner or your beloved superhero. After testing the application for a few months, I found myself really using the "chase" feature that ZRX is famous for. In return, only the positive reinforcement in the guise of a hero or friend running while escaping from zombies has undoubtedly helped me achieve my personal bests in the 5km and 10km distances.

How ZRX and Marvel Move works

(Borrowed image: ZRX / Marvel)

For starters: with this IRGE "Zombies, Run!". The 10 full season missions feature an absolute voice cast, and follow Runner Five as he tries to save lives in the post-apocalyptic community of Abel Township.

In addition, these IRG radio stations will have missions for distribution, including customized classes for renting in 5, 10, half marathons and marathons, in analogy with the coaching intent of Garmin watches.

A famous sci-fi writer named Naomi Alderman ("Force") has written a story based on zombies, and the first mission I received was full of what you'd expect from the genre: mysterious mutations, the search for medicines, traitors, tragic sacrifices and tons of conspiracies.

If you get bored of the Walking Dead-esque plots, check out the Adventure section, where you have to escape from dinosaurs, lava, alien monsters and other motivating threats of different genres. The app is included in the Zombies Run! membership for $39. 99 per year.

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Marvel Move costs about $6 per month every year, but it's a lot more "naked" than Zombies Run!, since there are no decade divisions, only months. But contrasts are already abundant, with campaigns for X-Men, Doctor Strange and the Red Witch, Thor and Loki: Test of the Ten Realms and The Incredible Hulk.

There are also competitions like the Flerken Race and Captain America: Turkey Trot. In any case, you are an unnamed character and are not tied to a specific gender or personality. Thor calls you "mortal" and in other scenes you are an anonymous SHIELD explorer.

The cast of these shows was pretty surprising. Sandra Saad, who voiced Kamala Khan in Square Enix's Avengers, is reprising her role, and the rest of the cast, while not the most popular, have really settled into their roles without trying to imitate their Hollywood colleagues. Thanks to them, I'm not losing interest in the show.

How Zombies, Run! and Marvel Move helped me hit two PBs

(Image source: Michael Hicks / Android Central)

To see how effective Marvel Move and Zombie Run are at motivating me, I tried running on a treadmill, the worst environment for a 5K marathon. For me, there's nothing worse than getting into a zone where you see the same circle over and over again and slowly count the other circles.

I set my Garmin Forerunner 965 for 5K training and aimed for a Race Predictor time of 22. 30. This is a 7:15 average pace, so my goal time was 7:00-7:45. My VO2MAX has improved over the past few months, and this was my best time since high school.

Strapped on my Shokz OpenFit so I wouldn't miss my neighbors hitting the Strip, I turned on Monarch of the Crows, a spooky Halloween-themed virtual race featuring magic rituals, leylins, undead scarecrows, and evil druids. I have no opinion on whether this counts as "canonical" Zombie Run, but with a plot twist every half kilometer, even if it's out of context, I couldn't help but let myself get drawn in to the finish without paying attention to the creepiness.

As a result, the final dialogue, which was a little shorter than expected, 22 minutes and 23 seconds, and the last dialogue required to run to the goal together gave the jerk's momentum to the goal.

The fastest time in Garmin Connect at 5K was more than 25 minutes, but this has been applied in recent years, and as a result of checking the old NYRR races, my fastest record is younger. It was 22 minutes 33 seconds in 2016! So it was really helpful.

(Image source: Michael Hicks / Android Central)

The FLERSKEN RACE, a MARVEL MOVE virtual race with the heroines of the failed movie Marvel, FLSKEN RACE, was also very interesting. I used it as a 10km training race that runs on a truck, not a ful l-fledged test for PR, but I just liked the story and tried to run fast, so most of the actual races in recent years. I decided to run faster.

My favorite story that I came back is the "Saw and Loki" campaign. I'm not going to spoil the plot movement, but their interactions are interesting as expected, and the story itself doesn't feel tired.

I don't really like ZRX's famous "chase". The concept is interesting: Set the number of encounters with zombies per hour, and set the percentage of how fast you need to run to escape. However, because of the mechanism that is immediately refused, the penalty is imposed if it runs too fast in the areas that are not chased, and sharp sources are not always suitable for training other than aerobic exercise.

If this concept is implemented in MARVEL MOVE (not implemented at the moment), associated with chase as an option test, the higher the speed percentage, the higher the number of enemies or the Bifrost (Bifrost). I want you to collect the energy and make it a other concept in space. This should be rewarded for success, and if you are ready for this test, you will not punish you.

Android central has been enabled and executed! I'm a list of the best fitness apps a few years before writing for this site, so I'm satisfied with agreeing to this review. The question is whether to subscribe to ZRX instead of conventional running apps such as Strava or Runkeeper.

These applications are generally suitable for runners who need audio tests and motivation. For me, who has reached the level without any problems, I don't need ZRX and I don't intend to use it every time.

However, I will continue to use it as an indispensable thing to change the tempo, rather than listening to the same playlist of high plate music many times. And we look forward to the new "Marvel Move" mission that will increase the motivation of running like "Zombies, Run"!

ZRX (Zombies, Run!)

There are hundreds of missions, racing and training plans, and have a huge amount of content to increase motivation to run faster. Recently, famous heroes such as Wolverine, Saw, Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, and Captain America have appeared, urging them to train more enthusiastically.