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Athlete of the Month - Bonnie Beaman
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Richmond resident Bonnie Beaman has been, and continues to be, active in the community, from being a Race Director for the Richmond Flatlands to being a Sun Run Clinic leader. We spoke with Bonnie to see what she has been up to and what she does in addition to remain active, not only in the community, but physically as well.
We know you an avid runner and Sun Run Clinic leader at Minoru Park, what other activities do you do to keep in shape?
Besides running, I do indoor rock wall climbing twice a week. I am also starting to teach a spinning class at Steveston Community Centre on Tuesdays at 5:30. Spinning is very new to me and I am looking forward to it. I also work out at home where I have a treadmill, hand held weights, bosu, leg weights, an Indo board which I use for developing balance and an exercise ball. I also like to cycle outdoors, rollerblade and walk with my husband when I can get him out. I have not been on my rollerblades for a while, but I am going to try hard to make the effort this spring to do it at least once per week.
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You speak about a "team" approach to running/sports. What do you mean by "team"?
Everyone needs a team in order to be successful in whatever their activity is. The team does start at home. Support from other family members is important. Being active takes up time and other family members need to be ready to pick up in other areas when you become active. We can't do everything. Once you are committed to being active, stuff can happen. Everyone's body reacts differently to getting moving. You may feel some discomfort so a massage therapist can help to relieve some of this. Other issues like leg length discrepancy can cause you some discomfort in the lower back area so a chiropractor can help here. Biomechanically you may have issues with your feet so orthotics can help out. Requiring this team does not mean your activity is causing you to fall apart. Your team will be able to help you get started, stay active and keep you healthy.
You have organized a run in Pacific Spirit Park. Can you tell us more about it and when it is.
The run/walk is called Run Inn the Woods and is sponsored by the Run Inn in Kerrisdale. It was started in 1997 in memory of their good friend Barry Allcock who passed away from Cancer. Barry was an avid runner with the store and enjoyed running with all his buddies. In 2002 my daughter Carrie passed away from complications from Neuroendocrine cancer. She was only 24 but was already passionate about health and fitness. My good friends at the Run Inn asked is they could include Carrie in the run. We were truly honoured by this and thank them for remembering her each year. The Run Inn the Woods raises money for the B.C. Cancer Foundation and the 2007 walk/run raised over $7,000. It is one the the Cancer Foundation's largest fund raisers in proportion to the number of participants. It is held each year at the end of November and is followed by refreshments at the store.
What achievements are you most proud of?
This is a hard one. I have a wonderful family, my husband and I have been together for nearly 38 years. We were blessed with 24 years with Carrie and our son Scott, 28 this year, still lives at home and still a joy to have around. I had about 5 years as Race Director for the Richmond Flatlands which I truly enjoyed and was always proud of the success of this event. I have run in 6 marathons, two of which were Boston. I like to think I continue to challenge myself with new activities like rock wall climbing and I enjoy my full time job as an Insurance Broker and my part time job teaching various fitness classes and, of course, I am in my 9th year as a Sun Run Clinic Coordinator and always look forward to the 13 weeks of helping more people become active through walking or running.
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