It may be one of my usual running routes through the streets of Singapore, but running is fraught with danger.
I was the hero of my own spy story, racing from one checkpoint to the next to stop the bad guys.
The plot came straight from a running app called Running Stories, which puts you in the role of a secret agent in a story that unfolds with music that makes your heart beat abnormally.
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It is one of the latest applications designed to make exercise more interesting, with the help of real-time data that combines the plot with the environment in which you are.
Key plot events are triggered when the runner passes certain jeep markers and landmarks.
From being shot at by snipers to running up the river to catch a speedboat, the story kept me engaged and burned tons of calories.
Despite the hot sun, I managed to complete the mission, save everyone and fight my own hall.
This new type of app is designed to motivate those who don't normally enjoy running, while encouraging new runners to take up the sport.
For experienced runners, they offer the chance to add short sprints to get the heart rate up during exercise.
“They make you explore new routes using real-time data that turns running into a story. It's like Hollywood, Silicon Valley and your personal trainer had a baby," says Joachim Borgstorm, the app's creative lead.
Running Stories has a pilot in Singapore, with plans to launch in cities around the world.
"We want the app to be available as an open source platform so that writers and creators can create their own stories."
"There are also plans to include more real-time data such as weather conditions and the runner's heart rate to enrich the experience," adds Borgstorm.
And if you prefer horror movies, imagine being chased by zombies.
Originally published in 2012, the app Zombies, Run!, made by a British studio Six to start, has been downloaded nearly 10 million times, and half a million people run with it every month, according to the company.
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Its biggest market is the USA, followed by Great Britain, Canada and Australia.
"The idea came from two places - I've always wanted to make running more fun, and I was convinced that an audio-only game would be perfect for activities where you can't look at your phone," says founder Adrian Hon.
Six to start has now expanded beyond zombies, adding sci-fi, historical and romance stories, Hon tells the BBC.
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During the pandemic and the isolation measures that accompanied it, some fitness companies saw their sales skyrocket, including the exercise bike company Peloton. But will such trends last?
"We think the shift to home fitness has been happening for some time, just as you've seen movies move from the theater to the home and video games from the arcade to the home, where you can have a higher quality experience whenever you want," he says. to the BBC Kevin Cornils, International Managing Director of Peloton.
Peloton has achieved huge sales of prestige bikes during the pandemic, and can boast that its fans include Usain Bolt, David Beckham and Michelle Obama.
"People will continue to realize that they can get the same motivation they used to get at the gym in the comfort of their own home, so I see the current trends only continuing," Cornils adds.
One of the biggest attractions of Peloton is its connectivity. The bike's onboard technology can connect with other riders so you can race them in your own virtual Tour de France or take lessons with an instructor online in real time.
Other companies offer similar products. "We're seeing a strong increase in connectivity among the younger generations, and that's not going to bypass fitness," says Lou Lentin, chief executive of Peloton's rival Echelon Fitness.
But does he worry that people will return to the gym once the pandemic is over?
"I think people will continue to go to the traditional gym, but because of convenience and other factors, there may be a hybrid experience where people continue to use connected fitness," says Lentin.
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Wearable technology such as fitness bands has seen a huge boom in the last few years.
From $3,2 billion in 2018, the industry is expected to grow to $5,1 billion this year and $6,2 billion in 2021.
As they evolve, wearables are moving away from the traditional world of fitness.
"The evolution of wearables follows the way people are starting to experience fitness differently. Many are no longer satisfied with tracking basic metrics such as weight, height and how many steps they take in a day," says a spokesperson for Fitbit.
Instead, the brand has experienced users' desire to move away from "fitness" to pursue other aspects of fitness, such as mental health, sleep quality, and heart health.
"The future of fitness and wearables is about making the invisible visible - uncovering even more information about our bodies to take better control of our health and well-being," adds a Fitbit spokesperson.
Metrics introduced include heart rate variability, skin temperature, and SpO2 sensors, which measure blood oxygen levels.
In addition to helping people stay fit, such innovations have the potential to serve as an early warning system that something has changed in their health.
Still without a vaccine for Covid-19 and with the global rate of infection skyrocketing, the demand for such health technology is stronger than ever.
So what's next in exercise technology? Experts say the driving force is technological advances such as artificial intelligence and behavioral changes in a post-Covid world.
One day in the near future, all aspects of fitness, from our devices to food to exercise videos, will be bundled together into one service, says Sid Patak, consumer industries expert at Kearney, a management consulting firm.
"And while there are individual solutions for everything—intelligent weight scales, heart rate monitors, trackers—they don't talk to each other and provide the consumer with a unified solution," he says.
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