...Registering for Half the Rocket City Half Marathon!
They saved me a spot...so how could I say no to running under real space shuttles and rockets again?
In December 2019, I ran a race called “Half the Rocket City Marathon,” which is still my favorite branding for a half-marathon. Anyway. I got an email this weekend from the race organizers that it was being held again this year and that I had a spot reserved in the “back half” where the course runs through the NASA Space and Rocket Center and Huntsville Botanical Gardens.
That’s the course I ran last time, and it it was great. It’s also I got this really nifty medal with a spaceman on it!
It was really amazing to run under actual space shuttles and alongside Saturn V rockets. At one point, we ran by a moon lander, and it started playing Neil Armstrong’s “One Small Step for Man” audio all around us. It was really cool.
See? Look at this! It’s me! And a rocket! And here…it’s a space shuttle! It was awesome. I can’t wait to do it again.
Despite being unable to even run a solid half-mile at this point, much less a half-marathon, I paid my registration fee and confirmed my entry dang near a whole year in advance.
And That Motivates Me to Move More
When I have something planned and paid for, having that deadline pushes me to get a move on. Literally. Hopefully, I will drop some poundage and get to running more than I can right now. 240 pounds is a lot different to carry along a course than 155. Or even 200 (which is where I was in those pictures above).
The past week(ish) has been slow because my wife and I caught a stomach bug somehow, despite being hunkered down because of Omicron surges in Alabama. But once we’re feeling better, it’ll be a lot easier to make myself want to move and not…well, lie there like a lump, moaning about feeling bad, and playing Genshin Impact, haha.
Also…their medal is pretty dang cool. So that helps.
What’s Next?
My goal is to sign up (and be ready) for a 5k and 10k that’ll happen in April/May. And then some other races in the fall.
But not summer. Nope. Never summer.
Summer in Alabama is stupid for running, so I know that any races I do will 100% not be June-August. Gross.
So…that’s where I am at this very second: I registered for a half in December to keep myself motivated to move my body as much as I can.
Do you do things like that to motivate yourself? Is anyone else running any of the Rocket City Marathon races? Let’s chat in the comments!
Create your profile
Only paid subscribers can comment on this post
Check your email
For your security, we need to re-authenticate you.
Click the link we sent to , or click here to sign in.