Since I was fourteen years old, my training comprised weight training and high-intensity training. I hated running. It was so hard for me. I'm a wrestler so short bursts of high intensity was my thing. Even when I served in the forces, the maximum I ever ran in one go was three miles, but I knew I could run a mile quickly. I'm talking seven minutes of legging it, but after that, I was done if I didn't rest.
In 2017, Andrew asked me if I wanted to do a 10k zombie run. I agreed straight away because it sounded fun, but then I realised 10k (just over 6 miles) was DOUBLE the furthest distance I'd ever run. So I decided I would train for it properly (I'll share that experience in another post) and we did it! It was such a laugh.
After that I wanted to continue running and that's when I really started using running apps properly. To me, every run is as hard as the next, whether I'm running a few miles or 10 miles. Sometimes I feel like I'm not improving, but the best thing about tracking your runs is you can actually see the improvement even if you don't feel it. It really keeps you motivated.
I looked back at the training plans I had downloaded to see if they would help improve further. I noticed that all of them seemed to have something in common. To improve your running you should do around 3 runs a week - 1 shorter jog, 1 run with intervals (eg. Run for a minute and then jog for a minute, etc.) and 1 long run. I did that, and I saw improvements quickly.
But then, I felt a little bored. Listening to music is OK, because I relied on the beat of the music to keep me going and keep my mind focused away from the difficulty. I found running more difficult without it. So, I tried something different. I listened to an audio book and found that to be a very good distraction. Then I heard about story running and tried that. That was better still.
I found apps that upgraded character stats by tracking your walking and running, then there was Pokemon Go... However, the best story running app I found was Zombies Run. It was exactly what I was looking for and so immersive. Why didn't I discover this right at the beginning!?
Then Andrew and I began talking about making a new game on our mission to find something we both love - a project for life. Something we talk about probably twice a year between our other projects. That's when I thought it would be awesome for me if the running stories I had been listening to were themed around paranormal events. At that time, I had been writing a series of short stories called 'The Brink' in which Detectives investigate criminal cases with paranormal explanations. The characters and investigations would fit perfectly into a running story.
That was it. We both agreed that this would not just be another project that we start and finish and look back on with fondness. This would be a project for life. We committed to putting a significant amount of our time into it and achieving the best that we can.
And we couldn't wait to start!