Time off sounds great. Not that I will have the answers, but I suspect the best advice is going to be highly dependent on what a 'good performance' looks like to you.

If good is maintaining your current speed (c.12 hr 15m) then I'd imagine the number you can manage per year is going to be much higher than if good is going under 12/11/10 hours.

So how much time have you got to train and what are you aiming for?

I signed up for 2 races within 6 weeks in 2016 - the second one as a backup race, if they first one turns ugly. I ended up having a good first race and did the second one with very little training between the 2 races and ended up having an okay race (about the same time apart from 20 minutes walking due to stomach issues that suddenly came and went).

In 2019 I did 2 races within 10 weeks and the first was horrible and the second one comparatively reasonable, however with minimal training due to work commitments (~6-7h per week, mostly commuting) and low level of fitness.

I would think 4 is do-able, if you're willing to take it easy if you find you're not on fire on the day and save yourself for the next one.

I will have more time to train than in past years as work will not be in the way. I did IM Maryland in 12h15m in 2019 (I know, not the toughest course) on good overall fitness but with very, very little speedwork in my training. I had a few big weeks of 15-16h of training but was mostly in the 12h range except for recovery weeks.

I have done 4 in a year several times. It is pretty manageable especially if you are not working. There are some people that can manage more than that. For me when I am doing 4 in a year, I have always done an early season event in May (Texas, St. George) and then a late fall event (Florida, Arizona or Cozumel). In between I try and spread the other two races out based on desired destinations. Steady consistent training is important with good recovery between the races. Not getting injured sure helps. I am 62 this year and plan todo St. George, IM Canada and IM Arizona. I am also doing a few 70.3's in mid summer. Good luck and safe training.

I did 2 in 5 weeks in 2019. Had PR performances in both races. I was kind of messed up for awhile after the second. I think it took 2-3 months for my endocrinology to get back to normal. So if you are going to do 4, I would space them out in twos equally across the calendar year. OR do some of them as training races.

I did 2 70.3s a week apart and placed top 10 in AG in both.
I took a week off after the second and my immune system crashed, I got a bad case of flu that lasted 3 weeks, I also picked up a couple of other bugs for good measure, absolutely floored me. Never again!

I think this is critical. Doing 4 is very manageable if you setup your schedule right.

I'm aiming for 4 70.3s with the same intent Chattanooga/Boulder/Waco and one TBD. With dates of 5/17, 8/1, 10/18, and likely 6/28, it gives nice 4-5wk blocks between races while treating the first 2 as race-into-shape races and then a final stretch of 11wks between Boulder & Waco to shed some fatigue from the summer before diving back in.

Will you also have more time to focus on training and recovery with your extended leave? Or do you plan to stick to similar training plans from your past IMs?

Personally, I wouldn't want to do this. I did two IM's last year, and felt that was more than enough - I did put a lot into the races in terms of training and focus, and it was quite tiring. I much prefer the 70.3 distance, and if I was in your position would do a bunch of 70.3 races. Recovery is much quicker (usually 3-4 days for me after a 70.3), and there are a lot more races to choose from. You'd probably get faster by doing shorter races than slogging through several IM's. Just my opinion, though.

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It's all about how much time you need to recover, build back up.

Personally i will try to have 12-16 weeks between races.

I think heavy cycling training is going to be your friend throughout the year.

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In 2019 I did Tremblant 70.3 in late June, then IM Vitoria-Gasteiz in Spain in mid-July, then IM Maryland at the end of September.

Tremblant went well; Spain was terrible but this was largely due to travel being a pain and I was in Europe for a wedding so was eating and drinking too much; then Maryland was great. Lots of time between Spain and Maryland so no issues with residual fatigue or anything.

Looking at the current calendar of events, I can imagine doing IM Tulsa (late May), IM Lake Placid (late July) and then either IM Wisconsin or IM Chattanooga or maybe Maryland again (all in mid-to-late September). This also leaves the possibility of doing IM Florida or IM Arizona in November if I blow up at one of the earlier ones. I think building in proper recovery from each race before starting new blocks will be key.