Your plan in four answers
Lake Michigan Half has not announced its next date, so we have estimated October. Change the date below once you know it.
- Distances
- Half marathon, 10K, 5K
- Sport
- Running
Course
The Lake Michigan Half course
The half starts and finishes at Cupertino Park on Milwaukee's south shore and is a single out-and-back on the paved Oak Leaf Trail. Runners head south along the Lake Michigan shoreline, through or beside South Shore Park, Bay View Park, Sheridan Park and Warnimont Park, to a turnaround in the Grant Park area, then come back north the same way.
Read the full course notes
Six aid stations with water, sports drink and GU sit at about miles 1, 2.4, 3.4, 4.5, 5.6 and 6.5 on the way out, and you pass each again on the way back. The 10K starts at 9:10 a.m. and the 5K at 9:20, ten and twenty minutes after the half, and walkers and ruckers are welcome on the shorter courses. The course closes at noon, and half marathoners who want extra time can take the 8:00 a.m. early start.
- Distances
- Half marathon, 10K, 5K
- Weather on race day
- Late October in Milwaukee is usually crisp: expect roughly 45–55 °F around the 9:00 a.m. start, with average highs near 61 °F and some rain on about ten days of the month. The shoreline is open, so a breeze off the lake can make it feel colder than the thermometer says; bring gloves and a layer you can shed after the first few miles.
What to train for
This is a trail half with one turnaround, so practice a sharp U-turn and getting straight back to pace around mile 6.5.
Do your long runs on a paved path and include one or two of 12 to 13 miles, running the second half slightly faster than the first to rehearse the return leg.
Cool lakefront weather rewards even effort: tempo runs of 20 to 30 minutes at half marathon effort, run out and back so you feel both headwind and tailwind, teach you to pace by effort rather than the watch. On the way home the aid stations come every mile or so, so practice taking a gel around mile 7 and fluids little and often.
Sample week
A sample Lake Michigan Half training week
A week from the middle of the build, about six weeks out. Your plan sets the real distances and paces from your own fitness and adjusts them every week as you train.
- Monday
- Rest, or 20 minutes of mobility
- Tuesday Key session
- Intervals: 5 × 1 km at 5K to 10K effort, easy jog between
- Wednesday
- Easy run, 5–6 mi
- Thursday Key session
- Goal-pace run, 7 mi with 4 mi at race pace
- Friday
- Recovery run, 4 mi, or cross-train
- Saturday Key session
- Long run, 10–12 mi easy
- Sunday
- Easy run, 4 mi, then 6 relaxed strides
Taper
Tapering for the Lake Michigan Half
Start the taper ten to fourteen days before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp.
Also in Claude
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Build me a training plan for the Lake Michigan Half Marathon in October. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Lake Michigan Half training questions
How long should I train for the Lake Michigan Half?
Most runners give a half marathon twelve to sixteen weeks of focused training on top of an existing base. The plan above counts back from your actual race date, so if you have less time than that it builds the best plan the remaining weeks allow rather than pretending you have longer.
Is the Lake Michigan Half course hilly?
The half starts and finishes at Cupertino Park on Milwaukee's south shore and is a single out-and-back on the paved Oak Leaf Trail.
What is the weather usually like at the Lake Michigan Half?
Late October in Milwaukee is usually crisp: expect roughly 45–55 °F around the 9:00 a.m. start, with average highs near 61 °F and some rain on about ten days of the month. The shoreline is open, so a breeze off the lake can make it feel colder than the thermometer says; bring gloves and a layer you can shed after the first few miles.
When should I start tapering for the Lake Michigan Half?
Start the taper ten to fourteen days before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp.
Do I need an account to get a Lake Michigan Half training plan?
No. The plan above builds in your browser with no account, no email, and no card. Make a free account only if you want to keep it, log your runs against it, and have the coach keep adapting it as your training goes.