Just my 2 cents but a week out from IM you should be just staying loose. If this IM is your A race why would you want to chance injury that close?

Wouldn’t risk all that prep for a sprint.

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Human Person

thanks for the input. the IM is the A race and the sprint is a local fun are where everyone gets together...

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https://www.strava.com/athletes/11645943 https://www.instagram.com/timeforicecream/

Why not just volunteer for the sprint?
I did that last Fall....volunteered for IMAC 70.3 the week before I did IMMD.
Spent the day hanging out with my tri-club pals and volunteering always provides a feel-good mental boost
As stated in a previous post, why risk anything the week before your A race?

I think it’s a perfect workout ad could help loosen you up. Only downside would be falling off a bike.

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New Training/Racing Log - http://www.earthdaykid.com/blog --- Old Training/Racing Log - http://colinlaughery.blogspot.com

Geez people are acting like a sprint is going to kill your IM.

It's a great high speed, low overall stress workout day. If you can't recover from it in time for the IM, well, your training has been all wrong.

Unless the run was all downhill where you might end up with some DOMS, I'd race it and have no problems with my athletes racing it

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

This.
It's not you. No matter how careful you are, someone could make a mistake and make you fall.
I love Sprint races, but I wouldn't bother with it a week before IM.
I rather have a good swim, do indoor bike ride and run 5K by myself.
Not worth the risk.

Fully agree with DD : unless you really feel like s..t, it is a very good speed session and you will recover in no time.
One week before one of the best IM performance of my life, I did :
- a sprint on the friday
- an olympic on the saturday
- a short (10K) hilly TT on the sunday....
I was afraid of being fried for the IM, but I was spitting fire one week later.

You could do the race, just not race it. Swim hard for a few hundred meters and then work on form. Work at holding the bike at your IM pace. Don't run very hard -- a few pickups (smile for the camera!). Think about your transitions. Make obnoxious comments to other competitors that the race is "just a warm up" to the "full Ironman" that you are doing in "only a week." Good luck

I very hesitantly did a sprint three weeks before my first IM. It wasn't a conditioning factor that made me nervous, but a potential injury factor. In no particular order: bike accident with another biker, bike accident with a car, twisting ankle on run, elbow to the face on the swim - all potential in a sprint. Odds might be low if you are careful, but for all the time, money and effort into training for an IM, that was risky to me.

I don't think the actual physical demands of the sprint are a bad thing. What you also need to account for is the logistical effort required before and after the race as compared to just doing a normal Sunday workout from home. I would think the week up to IM you want to stay sharp with our workouts, but you also want to maximize recovery time and keep as much of your day low stress and relaxed.

It's not terribly uncommon for one of your weekend workouts a week ahead of an IM to be a short but intense session. I don't see why a sprint tri (which is around an hour) wouldn't be any different than a typical hour-ish hard workout you might do that day.

My only concern would be a risk of injury from crashing a bike or getting punched in the face in the swim. Something like that.

But as far as is it too much of a "workout"? Nah.

  I think it all depends on how you feel. If you feel good that morning do it if not don't. Don't mess up a race that cost 700 compared to sprint that cost maybe 100.

Thats kind of where my mind was at too. thanks a bunch.. Its also a fun local race which are the best!

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https://www.strava.com/athletes/11645943 https://www.instagram.com/timeforicecream/

I probably wouldn't do the race but if i did i wouldn't 'race' the run.