Face your fears, I’ve been repeating this over and over for the last few months. I wanted to get back to the @ryanshaymile again and be competitive in this insanely talented field. Back in April, I struggled to hold 5 flat pace for 1200 meters. I stepped back to focused on 5k sessions and then tried again. Paces gradually felt smoother and indicated a 4:50 fitness at the end of June. A quick test at the Clawson Firecracker mile race produced a 4:46. Absolutely scared of the next step, I reached out to Matt Peterson, the RSM race director, to see if I could secure a bib number. He granted my wish with enthusiasm that comes from a 16 year bond as their “first winner back in 2008”. Add a few more weeks of very fast, all out workouts. Yesterday, I came very close to matching my lifetime best of 4:35. Official results 8th place in 4:37.1 What an honor it is to be here! Dream big kids. @hansonsbrooksodp @brooksrunning