![Elizabeth was one of five finishers of the Vancouver [half] Marathon along with Barbara, Tiffany, Brianne and Christina of Shepherd's Door, as well as volunteers Kristi and Anna. These are their feet.](https://i0.wp.com/www.portland-rescue-mission.local/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/shepherds-door-marathon-runners-feet.jpeg?ssl=1)
Elizabeth was one of five finishers of the Vancouver [half] Marathon along with Barbara, Tiffany, Brianne and Christina of Shepherd’s Door, as well as volunteers Kristi and Anna. These are their feet.
“My running partner Abby came in, and we had a really good talk,” Elizabeth said. “And while I’m in there talking with her, and running on the treadmill, I look down and I had run like four miles.”
It was at that moment that Elizabeth knew something could turn around.
“It was my attitude and mentality that was hindering me—a wall I hit during my training that I had to overcome by asking God to join me in the process,” Elizabeth emphasized.
See, at the beginning of the training process, those involved with Up and Running Again asked the ladies the following question: Why are you choosing to do this? Elizabeth’s response was simple; “I want to go on a run with God,” she answered. “And that is exactly what He allowed me to do. I wanted to get back into healthy actions.”
Elizabeth discovered some additional benefits of training for the marathon as well. She deepened her relationships with the four other ladies from Shepherd’s Door who were finishers.
“The women I ran with and I grew really close. We got to know each other better and our personalities. It was all about teamwork,” Elizabeth stressed. “It was very uplifting and encouraging.”
It also provided Elizabeth with something else that will be vital to a bright and sustainable future. And her recovery journey will never be the same as a result.
“When I have hard times, or when I’m going through something difficult, I’ll have an even stronger foundation,” she said. “I can turn around, look at my situation, and say, I also didn’t think I could run 13 miles, and I ended up doing that. It just takes persistence, determination, training and practice. You set the goal and you walk or run it.”
Mission accomplished. Elizabeth not only finished the Vancouver USA Marathon, but she did it with the ultimate running partner—she did it with God—just as she had planned to all along. And she expects to finish many, many more of these runs in the future.