Where in the world are you training right now?

We are in Davenport, Florida. We came down for the test event in December.

What's the initial impression, do we like what we see?

I think it's a quick course. There's like, one U-turn, but outside of that it’s really flat and there are long straightaways. From a fan's perspective, it's super viewer friendly as well.

Is it weird being there for so long leading into the race? Does that help with nerves?

It's definitely familiarizing us with the oddity of the weather – it's changing every day. Today was hot and humid and tomorrow is supposed to be 40 degrees. It opened my eyes to realizing that it could end up being a death march, but it could also end up being a nice day where we can run really, really fast. We just won’t know until maybe a day out. It’s a little nerve-wracking, but I think it's more exciting. We come down here every year just to beat the winter in Detroit and get some warm weather training.

Do you have a preference? You did well in Budapest off warm weather and you're going to be more comfortable down there than those training in the snow in Flagstaff.

I think so, but I also want to run fast – I think I'm ready to run fast. I am excited to run in whatever conditions there are because it's just chasing this dream that all the guys that are stepping on the line have. Obviously I think I've proven my ability to run in the heat. And so that's definitely something that I'm holding in the back of my mind in case it is hot, but I'm going to make sure that I'm ready for a 40 degree day as well.

About that dream… you have an amazing trajectory in your career. Throughout college at Grand Valley State, you kept getting better and you made the jump to pros successfully. When did the possibility of the Olympics being an achievable dream seem real?

I would say Chicago 2022 – just running under 2:10 in my second marathon. My first one I ran 2:15 on a hotter day, but after Chicago, I was like, “not too many guys in America can do that.”

It's something I'm chasing – it won't feel real until it happens. But it's something that I've tried to grasp, because I have kind of a weird story. I weighed more in my freshman year of high school than I do now. It's been a long ride, but it's always been something in the back of my mind.

Wait, what did you weigh?

I weighed about 165 pounds and I was a bit shorter.

Were you not an athlete or were you on the football team?

I was opening up holes for the running back as a fullback and I played hockey. Running was just a way for me to get a head start on making friends.

It worked for most of us! In terms of this block, how has the training been going and is it supporting the notion that you have a real shot at this?

Yeah, it definitely has. Early on in the block things weren't coming super easy, but I think that's a good thing as mileage and the fatigue is building on your legs. The last couple of weeks things have started to come a little easier and a lot smoother. All of our builds are fairly similar, so we kind of have an idea of how fit we are. And I think we're in for a big one. So I’m hoping that it’s all systems go and we get some good weather so we can run real fast.

Talk more about that because I know there's a bit of a Hansons formula and it works well. But when comparing workouts from one block to another, let alone historically, to what others have done, is that to your benefit or is it easy to get caught up in that? How did the marathon simulator or the 2 x 6 mile go this time around?

We actually had our marathon simulator yesterday and it went really well. The goal for that is 16 miles at marathon pace and I averaged 4:47 per mile. We had some tight turns in there and practiced getting bottles down.

So far it's been good to compare, though it can be tricky at times. As you get older things change with your body, but when looking back and seeing what I've done and how it compares it echoes that story of chipping away every day and making sure that tomorrow is a little better than you today.

Because everyone always likes to know, how much mileage have you been running for this block?

We've peaked at just over 130, but we've been over 120 for six weeks. It's never big days, other than the simulator. It's a lot of very similar days lined up and stacked up against each other with the cumulative fatigue that gets us ready.

Looking at your splits from Worlds – and I remember when watching – you moved up through that field really well. You were 49th at 10K, 39th at the half, 25th at 30K, 16th at 40K and then finished 13th. Is that a standard Zach Panning way of racing?

I think I've always been pretty good at running to the beat of my own drum.

That day it was obviously hot and I made the decision early on at the first bottles up with the tornado of people to run my own race and keep it consistent. I don't think that's the Zach Panning method as much as it’s the Hanson method – to know your pace and what your body's capable of.