Your name and role in the Steeplechasers: Billy Clem. I was a past Marathon Training and Half Marathon Training coach and then a Training Program lead for a few years. Now I’m the committee co-chair of the Steeps Trail Running group with Michele Jacoby. I also started and continue to organize the weekly Wednesday Pub Run and Happy Hour.
How long have you been a member? My wife Risa and I joined the Steeps in 2012. We had heard through the grapevine that the club was all fast runners and didn’t have much interest in joining, but after seeing Mark Lawrence at some local races and a few training runs that the club hosted leading up to the Frederick Half Marathon, we realized the club was more inclusive to all runners. Neither Risa or I love track running so the Decathlon series wasn’t really for us, but we did enjoy the social part and meeting new people. The next year the club started the Marathon Training Program and that is when I met so many fellow runners and realized how amazing the Steeps community was! (shout out to my original pace group “Team Asics!”)
Are you training for anything in particular right now? I just had a knee injury and wasn’t able to run for over 6 weeks. Luckily, I went to see fellow Steep Katie Woelfel, a Physical Therapist at Rehab2Perform. She helped me rehab and I was able to run Dam Yeti 55k the first week of June after only a few weeks back running. I almost exclusively run trail races now and prefer the ultra-distances of 50k and above because I love the supportive community on the trails. I also love to walk, and all of my trail races involve lots of walking! I’m about to run the Catoctin 25k and then I’ll be training for the Stone Mill 50 miler in November.
Do you have any running partners? My wife Risa got me into running when we started dating. It was her inspiration that made me believe I could be a runner. Like many other Steeps members, I didn’t really start running until I was in my late 30’s. I’d wanted to run for years but after trying to run and not being able to make it one mile without stopping, I got frustrated. Risa showed me the love of running and participating in races. So, I run with her most often but I’m incredibly fortunate to have way too many running buddies to mention thanks to the Steeps training groups, the pub runs, and all the trail races I’ve met people at! We still run in the woods every weekend!
Tell us a little bit about your role in the Steeplechasers. I love being the co-chair of the trail group with Michele. The trails have my heart, and I love introducing new people to trail running, although Katie Davis has been the one hosting regular trail runs every Sunday and she’s been doing a better job than me at getting Steeps out on the trails! Michele also stepped up to host one of the club’s signature low key races, The Wild Trail 5k & 10k which has been a huge success! Trail running is jokingly referred to as “The Dark Side,” but trail runners know that it’s actually the bright, fun side of running! I also love organizing the pub runs! I realized my favorite part of the Steeps was meeting so many great people which turned Frederick from a big city into a tiny town for me and Risa. We see people we know everywhere we go thanks to our little running club. I really wanted to start something that focused on the social side and not the running side, so I started the pub runs as a way to add a regular social event to the club. We have always encouraged people to come out whether they’re running or not because the pub run has never been about the running. For years, the pub runs were just a tiny group of us getting together at Brewer’s Alley, but after a few years it grew too big for a restaurant setting so now we circulate between all the breweries in Frederick. We now typically have between 20-50 people at our pub run/happy hour every Wednesday! Last year I officially changed the name from Pub Run to Pub Run OR Happy Hour to encourage any Steeps whether they’re running or not to join. It’s been such a great weekly routine. It’s also good to have a regular event for people who are injured to stay connected to their fellow Steeps.
What’s your favorite part about it? That’s easy, my favorite part about the Steeps is the people! When I made so many friends in the training groups and then watched so many friendships being formed around me when I was coaching, it made all the volunteer work so rewarding! I’ve met many members who have moved out of state, but the friends they met in the club still keep in touch and even fly out to visit them! I’ve even seen people who met in the club get engaged and married! I also love watching people accomplish new goals. My favorite days coaching were when I coached the Half Marathon training and we’d run our first 10-mile training run. For me, the first time I ran 10 miles (double digits) was so impactful and I wanted to highlight that day for all the runners I was coaching. I made such a big deal out of that run and we’d celebrate all the first timers! I thought it was even better than the goal race day because I could see the confidence that built in each of the runners, just like it had for me! I also love that Barb Cosgrove started the New Member Meet & Greets!
If you could impart one piece of wisdom to the Steeps, what would it be? To find enjoyment in the club no matter what type of running you like to do. The community of people is so supportive, inviting, friendly, and kind. It’s very cool to be a part of something with all different types of people.
As far as wisdom to runners, I’d say a couple of things that many of us have learned the hard way. First is to slow down your long runs and easy runs a bit. As a coach I saw far too many people running their easy runs too hard, which was minimizing their fitness gains. Every running coach I’ve ever heard and the top runners in the world all recommend running your easy runs at a conversation pace. It’s the most common mistake that us casual runners make. Next is to be consistent, but don’t over train. Rest/recovery is just as important as the running and listening to your body will help you avoid injuries.