...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!