I took a walk in the Swiss Alps today – and I didn’t even leave my house. It was a beautiful day. The sun shone brightly and there was a bracing wind. I walked past lovely Swiss chalets, a meandering stream and snow-capped mountains that were visible along most of the trail. I was not alone on my walk and passed Baxter from Liverpool, Alise from Wichita and Hiroshi from Tokyo. And they could see me too!
This was not a dream. It’s RunSocial, an interactive app for IOS that combines social interactivity with high-definition videos of beautiful international running routes – and it signifies the end of the boring treadmill workout.
I’m no genius. I don’t really know how the app works. All I know is that it is perhaps the coolest thing to happen to workouts since someone installed TVs onto treadmills. Besides the social aspect that allows you to virtually run with friends’ avatars in real time and participate in public events like the London Marathon, RunSocial is also completely customizable. Choose your location from a list that includes Tuscany, Italy; Monterey, California or Killarney, Ireland, among others. Set your goal, track your speed, choose whether or not you want to walk or run on an incline and whether or not you want to see other participants on the trail and get going. I’ll allow this mini-tutorial on RunSocial to explain it better …
I am a walker and aim for at least 10,000 steps per day. While I love to walk outdoors, up and down the hills of my neighborhood, the weather is not always on my side. We’re in the midst of our fifth heat wave and walking in 90 degree temps and high humidity is no fun at all. Luckily, I have a treadmill in my basement. (I got it for $100.00 at an auction that was selling the liquidated contents of a local fitness center. Good deal.) But frankly, walking on the treadmill is about as exciting as watching water drip. So, not very. But, with RunSocial, I can invite my girlfriend who lives in California to walk with me in Bali. I mean, how cool is that?
Each virtual trail has a maximum length but you can customize it to meet your schedule and even your location. (I chose a one-mile walk through the Swiss Alps this morning because time was against me.) And I used RunSocial at home, as I said, but it can be used in the gym as well. You can experience it on your IOS device or connect it to your gym’s Life Fitness treadmill or, if you have the proper components, to your TV. Don’t want to go for speed? No problem. Set RunSocial to manual and enjoy a leisurely walk through, say, Sequoia National Park if that’s what suits your mood.
How do people think of these things? I have no idea but I don’t have time to contemplate it. I’m meeting my friend who lives on Long Island in Bali for a 3.7 mile walk in five minutes. Gotta go!
Want to experience RunSocial yourself? The app is free to download. In-app purchases for the various trails apply, but, use this promo code, especially for readers of EverBeautiful.com for a free full Swiss Alps route: EBRS12! And feel free to connect with me. Let’s take a walk together. Enjoy! Click here to visit RunSocial online: https://www.runsocial.com
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