Ellwood: A Love Story

My Life: Memories of Love and Motherhood on the Trail

By Melissa Guillen Mon Jan 22, 2024 | 11:47am

When my husband and I first started dating, I lived 90 miles north of Goleta. We are both avid runners. In fact, it’s how we met, and one of our first dates was a run together along More Mesa. My husband was born and raised in Goleta. He graduated from Dos Pueblos High School, attended UCSB, and essentially never left. I loved my hometown, yet I found myself falling in love with a man and the magical place he calls home.

A few years later, we got engaged and settled in our new home together near Ellwood Mesa. What a joy it was to run from my front door and to be on the beach in five minutes. I soon jumped into training for my next 100-mile ultramarathon race and found myself running loops around Ellwood nearly every morning, afternoon, or evening. My route was often the same, yet every run felt different and I was never bored.

One sunny afternoon, I set out for a short jog and quickly noticed that I felt really queasy. I shrugged it off and chalked it up to nerves — I was flying to Arizona that weekend to compete in a race. I took a couple of COVID tests over the next two days as a precaution before realizing that I needed a different kind of test.

And I found myself staring at two pink lines.

I ended up running through my entire pregnancy. My first trimester was quite rough, but I decided that it was more enjoyable to spend my morning puking while surrounded by eucalyptus trees than puking into my toilet. Through those nine months, I maintained my mental and physical balance by continuing to move and be surrounded by nature in Ellwood. I absolutely loved exploring and watching the seasons change while my body experienced its own seasons.

Eventually, I recruited personal cheerleaders, neighbors whom I crossed paths with frequently and who eagerly watched as my pregnancy progressed. They’d shout, “I can’t believe you’re running!” and “You are so amazing” as I passed by.

But I’ll be honest, I’m not sure if I’d call it running near the end; it was more like a fast-paced waddle interrupted by a dozen bathroom stops. But I felt so grateful to be out there doing what I could.

Looking back at my pregnancy, I remember all the highs and lows. I remember stopping mid-run to watch the sunset over the water, rubbing my belly, and imagining my baby girl watching alongside me. But even the lows were beautiful — I remember feeling awful through an entire run and eventually stopping to sit on a log to catch my breath. Months later, I was on a walk and stopped to feed my daughter on that same log.

My daughter is now seven months old, and I sense that she already appreciates Ellwood as much as I do. I wear her in a sling and we marvel at the trees, look for butterflies, and watch gorgeous sunsets together. I look forward to the days that we can search for geocaches, explore tide pools, and walk hand-in-hand together through the eucalyptus. I hope that she can familiarize herself with every inch of Ellwood as I have. And I’d be thrilled if she were to share similar memories with her own children one day.

I’ve logged more than 2,500 miles in Ellwood over the last few years. Yet, I never grow tired of it. Every run feels like I’m living in a fairy tale. There are beautiful sunrises, even more beautiful sunsets, wildlife, butterflies, secret wind phones, artists creating art, elopements, and the list goes on. Although I see a lot of the same faces out there daily, I also see many new ones, which I welcome.

Come experience the magic of Ellwood and fall in love.