Year One
What I Wish Someone Had Told Me in My First Year
Looking back at my first year of running, most of what I wish I'd known isn't the kind of thing anyone could…
July 22, 2026The long view on running.
Running Past Sunrise
Written by Sasha Merrill
Latest
What Nine Years of Showing Up Has Actually Taught Me
Nine years of running hasn't taught me the tidy lessons I expected it to. Mostly it's taught me that showing up inconsistently, imperfectly, and for changing reasons is…
Injury & Recovery
Small Aches I Used to Push Through, and Why I Don’t Anymore
The way I treat a minor ache on a run today looks nothing like how I treated one nine years ago. This…
July 17, 2026Injury & Recovery
All Injury & Recovery ›
How I Learned to Trust My Body Again After Being Hurt
Long after my leg had healed, my head hadn't caught up. This is the slower, quieter story of…
June 21, 2026
The Injury I Saw Coming and Ignored Anyway
A small, nagging ache in my ankle that I brushed off for weeks turned into more time off…
May 27, 2026
Coming Back to Running After a Long Break: What It Was Really Like
After close to a year off, my first runs back weren't triumphant or easy. Here's what my body…
May 1, 2026Pacing
All Pacing ›
The Club Pacer Who Changed How I Think About Pace
A clubmate named this runner taught me something about pacing without ever meaning to. I did not learn…
July 12, 2026
Comparing My Pace Now to My First Year: What It Actually Shows
I compared how my pace feels now to how it felt in my very first year of running.…
June 16, 2026
What Changed When I Ran By Feel Instead of a Watch
I tried running by feel instead of watching my pace for a stretch of months. It was not…
May 21, 2026Year One
All Year One ›
The Moment in Year One I Almost Quit
Around month five of running, I sat on my front steps and decided I was done. What kept…
June 27, 2026
The First Race I Ever Signed Up For
My first race was a small local 5K I almost didn't show up for. It wasn't triumphant. I…
June 1, 2026
How Slow I Really Was When I Started (And Why That’s Fine Looking Back)
I spent my first year convinced my pace was an embarrassment I needed to hide. Looking back nine…
May 6, 2026Staying With It
All Staying With It ›
The Years When Running Felt Like a Chore
For a stretch of a couple of years, running stopped being something I looked forward to and became…
July 2, 2026
How My Reasons for Running Have Changed Over the Years
I started running for a reason I can barely remember caring about anymore. Nine years and several shifts…
June 6, 2026
What Keeps Me Coming Back to the Club on Sundays
Some Sundays I don't want to run at all, and I go anyway because the club is meeting.…
May 11, 2026Long Runs
All Long Runs ›
The Long Run I Should Have Skipped
I ran a long run last year on a week when every signal was telling me to rest…
July 7, 2026
What Nine Years of Long Runs Taught Me About Boredom
I used to treat boredom on a long run as a problem to solve with music or podcasts.…
June 11, 2026
Why My Longest Run Isn’t Getting Longer Anymore
My longest run has sat at roughly the same distance for a couple of years now, and I…
May 16, 2026
About
Sasha Merrill
Running Past Sunrise is written by Sasha Merrill. Everything here comes from actual use, written up honestly, including the things that did not work.
More about this site ›Recent
- The Club Pacer Who Changed How I Think About Pace
- The Long Run I Should Have Skipped
- The Years When Running Felt Like a Chore
- The Moment in Year One I Almost Quit
- How I Learned to Trust My Body Again After Being Hurt
- Comparing My Pace Now to My First Year: What It Actually Shows
- What Nine Years of Long Runs Taught Me About Boredom
- How My Reasons for Running Have Changed Over the Years