It seems like everyone has gotten into running. To be fair, it makes sense. We college students are in that limbo state, experiencing a new type of independence and freedom compared to high school, but also still not tied down to our “big girl” jobs.
On top of that, UCSB is not only known for being one of the top party schools in the nation, but I’d argue one of the prettiest campuses in the nation.
And even when you venture further out from its neighboring community, Isla Vista, it opens to the Ellwood Mesa Trails — an integrated trail system of over 10 miles linking through the entire space.
With access to these trails, UCSB students are not only into running but also training for half marathons. Last fall, the Santa Barbara Half Marathon hit a record of over 7,000 registered runners.
Despite fewer than 1% of the world population running a half marathon in their whole life, to me — in the Santa Barbara bubble – it felt like there was no other way but to spend my last winter quarter training for my own half marathon.
Prep work: THE journey
Looking back, I was honestly grateful to be at school in Santa Barbara, surrounded by so many runners. My roommate, especially, had always been athletic. She did her first half last year and was training for her first full marathon in Carlsbad.
While I take joy and find peace working out at the gym, I haven’t done much running. Back in high school, I used to get only 13-14 minute miles.
Running every other day with my roommate, whether before or after classes, really helped me stay on track and adapt to adding running to my workout routine.
What really showed my capability was no longer running 2-3 miles; instead, I was upping my average run to 4-6 miles with no breaks. It was definitely hard at first, and I’m glad I gave myself 14 weeks to fully immerse myself in this type of training.
Whenever I ran these newer, longer distances, I never stopped running, even if I was jogging slower than I would be walking. One of the main things I wanted to improve was my discipline, so I never allowed myself the luxury of walking, which showed that even when I was lightly jogging at some points, I could still reach these long runs.
I loosely followed this 14-week training guide, but instead of running almost every day as the guide says, I adjusted it to my body’s needs and ran every other day. (Another important thing to remember when training for these higher-intensity workouts.)
Tuesdays and Thursdays were my run days, and then I switched off on Saturdays and Sundays, depending on whether I had work or had gone too hard the night before…
I was also glad that I gave myself 14 weeks because, even when I caught the unformidable flu that everyone had at the beginning of the year, I still had ample time to recover, and my longest run was 10 miles.
Many runners typically say that if you can run at least 8 miles, you can do a half marathon. I was feeling pretty good. I was training with my newly purchased Brooks Women’s Glycerin 22’s — a household name for half marathons.
During my longer runs (anything more than 7 miles), I began experimenting with energy gels, taking one every 4-5 miles. I practiced with the You Again Honey & Himalayan Salt Gels, which were made of just two ingredients (Hint: it’s in the name).
I thought these were the best while running because, since they were only two ingredients, it felt light in my stomach, and they didn’t trouble my digestive system while still giving me that extra energy boost.
Considering it is my senior year at UCSB, I also got to take in my surroundings in their entirety while training for this half. Through the Ellwood Mesa Trails, I made it all the way to the edge of Sandpiper’s Golf Course — was I still in IV??
Luckily, the sun was out for most of this winter quarter. I will admit the days that the sun was hiding beneath the clouds were a bit cumbersome. I leaned into my community of friends who were into running, logging our activities on Strava, and building a support system where we gave each other kudos.
I also recorded myself on these grey days, forcing myself to get through the entire run so I could post it on TikTok.
Overall, after every run (and shower), I felt great and super energized. (Tip: I also always carried my Hydro Flask wherever I went, as well as drinking a glass of electrolytes after every run to make sure I never felt headaches from heat exhaustion or drained energy.)
the big day
Even though I had heard my friends’ experiences running half marathons throughout Southern California and how much fun it was, I was surprisingly starting to feel nervous. Things were getting real. Exactly a week before my half, I realized I was going to run 13.1 miles straight and had no clue how I was going to do it — spiraling and forgetting I had already run 10 miles a week.
The night before, I had dreams — primarily the outlandish dreams — where I was run over by the swarm of runners.
Even with these nightmares, I wasn’t going to back down. I woke up bright and early (3 a.m. to be precise) on March 15th, 2026, to run the Moonlight Beach Half Marathon.
The sun hadn’t even risen, and I was already at the beach with my biggest supporters, my parents. The crowds began to come in, with more and more runners checking in, picking up their shirts, and safety-pinning their bibs.
Opening announcements began, and all I began to feel was an impending doom. Yet as soon as the race cannons went off, so did I.
I was running faster than usual, hitting a personal record for my 5K (the first three miles), yet when I turned around at the first loop, I received a text from my parents saying they wouldn’t be at the Mile 5 checkpoint.
That’s when I became nervous. All the anxious thoughts began to fill my mind, all while panting profusely, considering how fast I had run those first three miles. I started using every water station there was, downing Dixie cups of water or electrolytes.
It was nearing the Mile 6 checkpoint when I saw my mom, and I immediately grabbed the electrolyte packet, since I had eaten breakfast 4 hours earlier. The route was just two loops, mainly along the 101 South Highway, and then a side street to return to Moonlight Beach.
I made it halfway, started my second loop of the track, and by that point, all I wanted to do was be on the other side of the loop, where runners were finishing their last three miles, rather than the 5 miles I still had to complete.
Finally, I was on that side of the loop, hitting double digits in miles, and ready for the homestretch. Mile 11 was on the rougher side of miles since it was basically inclined the entire time, but I pushed through, saw my mom at Mile 12, washed down my second electrolyte water with water, and sprinted off with this newfound energy – a mix of both the second electrolyte fuel as well as the determination to finish the race.
That last hill wasn’t going to get in my way. I sprinted to the finish line with my hands up in the air, finishing the race in 2 hours, 2 minutes with a 9:17/mi pace.
13.1 miles later
There were definitely some things I would do differently. First would be investing in a runner’s vest so I could carry a small water bottle and energy gels with me, instead of having to stop to find my mom.
Also, choosing a route that wasn’t just a loop around, or doing a unique and cute hairstyle, were other changes I would make for my next half marathon. But all in all, I just felt so good. I felt proud of myself crossing the finish line, blasting Glorious by Macklemore in my ears during it. I know, cheesy, right?
After cooling down, I spammed my phone with hundreds of photos to choose from, because did it really happen if there were no photos??
Then I really prioritized drinking plenty of water and electrolytes and reintroducing food into my system, since I barely had an appetite post-race. Also, right off the bat, I was SOOOO sore — I was walking around like basketball players (there’s no way their practices are the same level of intensity as running a half.)
I had tested my limits and pushed myself further. I had become part of that less than 1%, all while getting to appreciate my college town one last time before I walked across that stage in 3 months. Looking back at those 13-14 minute miles, I had proven myself wrong, and you can too.
Like in Ratatouille, when Gusteau says, “Anyone can cook.” Well, I think “Anyone can run.”