Ironman Michigan 70.3 is an athlete fan favorite. Recently voted by Ironman athlete choice awards – Globally most recommended race, Global best bike course, and 1st overall race, North America region.
All for good reason, the scenery, people, support, and backdrop of this race are amazing. If you’re looking for a fast course with generally pretty perfect racing temps, then add Michigan 70.3 to your list.
Here’s what you can do on the swim, bike, and run to prepare for a great race day!
Swim
At Ironman Michigan 70.3 the swim takes place in Betsie Bay. A protected inlet off of Lake Michigan. You may experience some chop on race day but you don’t have to worry about any big waves.
Open Water Swimming
If you have access to swimming open water, incorporate some open water swimming into your training schedule. Open-water swimming is very different from swimming in a pool.
It’s important to get used to swimming in open water’s sights and sounds (and sometimes smells!) Make sure you’re always in a safe environment, you’re easily seen, and that you’re not alone.
History has shown that this race is typically wetsuit-legal. Swimming in a wetsuit feels very different. It’s important to get used to how your suit feels and to be comfortable in it.
Bilateral Breathing
Bilateral breathing is a skill you will want to make sure you have for race day. With the “coat hanger” shape of the swim course, chances are the sun will be in your eyes at some point.
You want to be comfortable breathing (and sighting) on both sides. Plus as noted above, if any chop is coming in (most likely off of Lake Michigan) you want to have the skills to breathe on the opposite side of the chop.
Sighting
Lastly, make sure to practice sighting so that you can stay on course during the race swim. If you don’t have access to safe open water swimming to practice, you can always practice sighting in the pool.
Start by lifting your head and sighting once per lap and spotting something big, like a locker room door. Then work your way down to sighting something smaller like a water bottle at the end of the swim lane. Slowly increase the number of times you sight per lap to three.
Bike
The bike course at Michigan 70.3 travels up Highway M-22 and hits some wonderfully scenic country roads in Benzie County. From transition, the bike course does two out-and-back sections.
The first out-and-back section starts as you take a right out of transition. This section is just over 10 miles. As you go by transition, you head North up M-22 and then will take a right on Esch Road at about mile 30. You are almost to the turnaround at this point and where the biggest hills on the bike course are. Then you will head back to T2.
As noted there are a few hills out there, but remember when you go up, you also get to go back down. Overall much of the course is rolling or flat.
As you are training and preparing for Michigan 70.3 there are two types of work on the bike besides general endurance work to make you sure are ready and comfortable to race 56 miles. Those two things are low cadence work and high rotations per minute (RPM) intervals at or above race effort.
Low Cadence Work
Low cadence work on the bike enables you with strength and endurance. Strong intervals above race effort, at 50 to 60 RPM, are extremely high value as an athlete. Low cadence training prepares you to push a bigger gear on race day, especially if you are met with headwind sections of the course (which can easily happen on M-22 between Lake Michigan and Crystal Lake).
It also develops your range as an athlete, allowing you to shift cadence even on the flat parts of the course. This helps reduce muscular fatigue on the bike and sets you up for a more successful run. Who doesn’t want that?
An example of what low cadence work might look like for you is 4 x 5 minutes at a very strong effort up a hill of 4-8% grade, under 65 rpm. Descend and recover for at least 5 minutes between each interval. If you don’t have access to a hill long enough you can do the same effort indoors on the trainer.
High RPM Intervals
High RPM interval training at or above race effort gets you ready to tackle whatever the weather might throw at you on race day. If the weather is in your favor and you get pushed along for a long stretch with a strong tailwind behind you (that same stretch on M-22 that could be a headwind, could also be a tailwind).
Power will be harder to keep up. The natural and correct tendency will be to sit at a higher cadence when there is a tailwind. For those who haven’t prepared, longer periods at 90+ RPM will create discomfort and fatigue. You can improve your neurological conditioning by including intervals at the high end of the cadence range every week or every other week.
An example of what high RPM interval training might look like for you is 4 x 10 min at race effort, at 100-120 RPM. With 5 min smooth endurance between each interval.
Run
The 13.1-mile run at Michigan 70.3 is made up of two out-and-back loops that are on paved trails and roads around Betsie Bay. The whole run is between the City of Frankfort and the Village of Elberta.
While the run course is pretty flat with only 252 feet of elevation gain. It can be a bit sneaky with a few spots that are fake flats. The run course also has very little shade which can make for a very hot run depending on the weather.
While the run is overall flat, training on variable running terrain as you prepare can help give you an extra advantage and make race day feel easier. Running on variable terrain promotes good running form and leg speed.
Two things are essential on race day! Hill work and trail or soft-surface running over highly varied terrain, are both extremely valuable.
Variable Terrain Runs
When including variable terrain runs, you’ll focus on running uphill strong (not all out and maintaining good running form). Then on the downhill, you will work on developing leg speed by running light and reducing your ground contact time. This builds strength and neuromuscular connection that translates to faster running.
Hill repeats are also extremely effective for cardiovascular training. Don’t be afraid to add recovery walking breaks back down the hill here and there to reset running posture and to keep your uphill repeats quality.
An example of what a hill repeat workout might look like for you is doing 2 Rounds of 6 x 30 sec fast uphill. Easy jog or walk downhill between each. Then 10 min easy running before repeating the second round. No hills nearby? You can also replicate hill work on a treadmill set to a 3-4% incline.
Takeaway
Incorporating these types of swim, bike, and run sessions into your triathlon training as you are preparing for Michigan 70.3 will certainly increase your race day confidence and success. Lastly, remember that training consistently is key to your race day success. Happy training!
If you have any questions about Michigan 70.3 or triathlon training in general, you can contact me at Carly@organiccoaching.biz. Looking for more help as you prepare for Michigan 70.3? This is one of the Organic Coaching team races and we would love to help you along the way!
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Carly Guggemos
Co-founder of Organic Coaching, Carly Guggemos is a triathlon coach with an extensive background in 70.3 and full-Ironman events. Carly is an age group winner at both long-course distances and has competed at the Kona Ironman World Championships in 2014 and 2015. With nearly a decade of coaching experience, Carly has expertise supporting athletes with busy or non-traditional schedules.