Sprint for sure. A hard effort in an Olympic can take a week or so to recover from.

+1

Your training volume, age, how hard you are able to make yourself suffer and typical recovery time are all factors, but odds are a hard Olympic will mean you need to take it easy for at least 3 days and if the next race is an "A" race you will want to taper. Which means you really only get a few hard workouts in between. You will lose fitness.

Sprint even if you destroy yourself is only a day or two recovery. Use it to make sure your equipment is dialed in, OWS technique is good and transitions are solid.

thanks! just registered for the sprint... will give me another solid midweek training session..

No Super Sprint options ?

Man, are folks not tough enough? I am racing 10 events in less than 2 months, starting this sunday.

And a number of them are "A" races. Just go do it.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

I think it is a function of race length vs average weekly training volume.

If you train 20+ hrs per week then every day you are 2+ hrs. So, no big deal doing a 2.5 hr race. What about those who train 8 - 10 hrs per week (or less).

Yes, you could do back to back race week ends, but they both cannot be "A" races; and if not conditioned appropriately you risk injury.

I wouldn't call it a lack of toughness. I think it is knowing your body and trying to be smart.

I agree as well

Some train a lot, then race a little.

I use races as part of my training.

And since I know I am not going to "win" the race, I am out there for many more reasons than "winning". For me, its the social since my wife helps at all
the races I do, and we always get to see our friends in the sport.

At my age of 60, it takes about a full week to recover from a hard Olympic. Now I am not stupid. On a few races, where the time will mean nothing, I am thinking of swimming and biking hard, and then just jogging the run. The hard runs are what takes the longest to recover from for me.

Yes, you have to listen to your body, but if you never try something, you never know what fun you can have trying to be tough enough.

I have had some pretty good races with terrible training before. So you just never know what a race day effort might be, unless you try.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

He's asked what should he do - a sprint or Olympic the week before? Are you suggesting both?

So that means 10 hard efforts and 10 days where you pig out...so I guess your claims that you never do speed work and only eat 3 meals a day need to be understood in this context ;)

True, the rest of the story :)

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

If one cannot recover in 2 weeks from either sprint or Olympic, there are other questions to ask.

My comment on a sprint distance is so many can fake it without proper training. Hard to fake an Olympic.

It is 2 weeks before I thought he posted. So if his focus is sprints, seems he would consider the sprints for his entire season?

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

Please elaborate regarding those who are faking a sprint distance triathlon.

I know many who can run a fast 5K with limited run training. But I know many I have passed at the end of a 10K
who are dead from lack of run, if not bike training. One reason I race Olympic distance. :)

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

So everyone you can beat in a race is faking it? Not an attitude I'd expect from a guy who professes he has a strong desire to bring new people to our sport.

Wow, fake news. That is not what I said. Sorry for trying to answer your question.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

I've made a career of faking sprint tris.

I haven't swum laps in a pool since 2011, and this past week was the first time since 2012 that I swam in OW without a timing chip on.
Haven't been able to do proper run consistent training since late 2012.

But I've been able to remain competitive at sprint tris based on bike fitness & speed.
AA every year. Easily.
I'd never be able to compete at an Oly with that level of "training".

I hate to humor Dave, or agree with him practically ever, but in this case, he's kinda sorta right, at least partially.

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float , hammer , and jog

Your example of life is what a lot of my friends are involved in. It is great that the sprint distance exists since they can feel they can compete.
I just know that a lot of these folks are much better natural athletes than me, so for the moment, I try to focus on my strengths, which is speed for the Olympic. Gets any longer and I suck for endurance. Gets any shorter and for now, I feel like I have just warmed up.

My only point was one can race a sprint and do well with very little training, for what ever the reason is. The folks I know who can do this, really do not like to race the Olympic stuff since they know they die at the end of the bike and the run, well, they say it is more like a jog.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep