Jerome Scales served on the board of directors of the Atlanta Track Club for many years, and was a run leader / coach for many of the training programs over the years. Unfortunately I did not know Jerome very well, but his death from cancer last summer at the age of 48 left a huge void in his large circle of friends, and professional associates at the track club and in his employment at Delta Air Lines. The track club has renamed the Southside 12K race in Jerome Scales' honor.
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| photo from the family of Jerome Scales, posted at https://www.wdlemonfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Jerome-Scales/#!/TributeWall |
At this stage in my own running, I'm totally focused on training for the Publix Atlanta Marathon on March 1, so I'm not running races with big time goals. Instead, I'm using races as great opportunities to gain long run mileage on a protected course as a big group run. We just returned from a two-week vacation in the Philippines, so I wasn't certain if I would even wake up in time to run this race, but as a free-for-members race, there was no downside to registering ahead of time. And when the alarm went off at 5:00 am (and thanks to a nudge from Bonnie), I was up and out the door in time to run three easy miles before the race, 10:58, 10:34, and 10:36, as the beginning of a 12-mile total workout.
I started near the back of wave C, to ensure that I wouldn't jump off the line too quickly. My goal for today's race miles was to run the first loop at a 10 min / mile pace, and then pick up the pace a little for the second loop, following Coach Carl's general recommendation for long runs: "First mile slowest, last mile fastest". That worked out well, running the first three miles of the race in 10:08, 10:12, and 10:14. As I walked through the water stop shortly before the mile 3 marker, the lead runner came through having finished nearly 6 miles. I estimated that he was running a 5:30 min / mile pace! He was followed by at least a dozen more speedsters over the remaining 4.3 miles of the first loop. As mile 4 was a substantial downhill, I ran 9:39, but was careful not to press the pace, remembering how I had badly strained my quadriceps running far too fast on the same course 2 years ago.
Along the course, the track club had posted signs with some of Jerome's quotes, including "One mile at a time" and "Hello weekend, let's get those runs in!" I passed several runners and walkers wearing bibs on the back honoring Jerome's memory, others from Delta Air Lines (Jerome's employer and a co-sponsor of the race) and a few from cancer support organizations.
After mile 4, we headed uphill toward the start-finish line to complete the first lap. I went ahead and turned up my pace, assuming that I couldn't hurt myself by increasing my effort heading uphill. I think that one of the runners thought that I was one of the speedsters completing the second loop, but no, I wasn't actually moving that quickly. I crossed the timing mat with a chip time of 43:37, a 10:02 average pace.
Running the second lap a little faster was more fun but also more work. Feeling a little jet-lagged and tired from travel, I was glad that I didn't have any time goals for today's race. I wonder how elite runners manage to fly around the world and then run world-class times? Perhaps the champions don't ride in economy class, but what about the unseeded "citizen runners" that occasionally place in major races, despite working regular full-time jobs and without sponsorships? Anyway that was where my thoughts went during the second lap. Mile 5 was 9:27, mile 6 was 9:54 (nearly 100 feet net elevation gain), and mile 7 was 9:23 (90 feet net elevation loss). I picked up the pace for the final 0.46 miles at an average 9:12 min / mile pace, catching up and passing a runner who had moved ahead of me around the mile 7 marker, crossing the finish line with a chip time of 1:13:10, 9:48 min / mile pace overall. The final 1.45 miles were my fastest on the day! Mission accomplished!
After walking around for a few minutes, I decided to finish the 11th and 12th miles for the day, with an easy 1.4 mile cooldown run out-and-back along the Wolf Creek trail. I was surprisingly sore after the race, but hopefully that is primarily a consequence of travel. During our time in the Philippines, I managed to run every other day, in 80 - 85 degree temperatures. I was glad to find enough fitness and mental strength to complete a medium-long run, even on a day when I was tired and somewhat sleep-deprived.
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