Half Ironman Training Question

'Enough training' of course depends on your goals, but sure, you can do a half on 7x/week.

Can you combine the workouts (such as bike/run or swim/run, etc.)?

In order of preference:

1.  Do the 2 workouts separated by 4-8 hours.

2.  Combine the 2 workouts into a single workout.

3.  Do a single workout but increase the distance a bit (not too much on the run!)

4.  Skip 1 of the 2 each day.

Yes, it is more than realistic.  Sometimes i'll shorten up my weekday bike ride a touch so I can run a couple few miles after.  ex. 1hr 15min ride 2mile run instead of a 1.5hr ride. 

For sure.

I did my first two HIMs this summer - IM 70.3 FL and Beach2Battleship Half - and never did a 2x day workout save for bricks and race simulations. I had the same work/family constraints and was able to finish both. I cramped in FL, but that likely had less to do w training than with nutrition plan (now use Infinit) and lack of acclimation to Orlando heat. Finished B2B comfortably despite heavy winds (6:46, making my sub-7 goal).

Of course, 1x day leaves you less flexibility for sick days, travel, days off etc. But anyway, who would want to miss even a day of HIM training 

Quite doable - though in different ways, depending on your schedule flexibility and what counts as "once per day", and what your goals are, i.e., finishing vs. being competitive. Like you I don't have the time to do two separate workouts per day, but during HIM preparation I followed suggestions from BT on how to squeeze more in. Almost all of my workouts were combinations of swim or bike followed by a steady run. That saved a lot of time. Adding a 15-20 minute run to something that you're already doing doesn't take long. Getting a good bike trainer was also key for me, as it allows the biking to be done at any time of day/night and in any weather. Trainer workouts also tend to take less time.

If you can't combine multiple sports into a single workout, then much will depend on your background and injury risk. If you're an experienced swimmer, then that's a big savings, as you might be able to get by on limited training. Biking can be served well by a moderate number of hard rides. Running is the trickier one. In order to build for a HIM and avoid injury it's best to accumulate a good base of miles. Preparing on 3 runs/week is a high risk business, as you'll be squeezing all of the pounding stress into a very small number of workouts.

I think a lot depends on how good a swimmer you are going in, IMO.  In my experience at both HIM and IM distances, I've found I could get away with comparatively less swimming...a lot of AG triathletes, frankly, spend too much time on swimming relative to how much of the day it will ultimately consume (whether you look at time or calories burned)...difference in minutes between FOP, MOP and BOP for an HIM swim is pretty small compared with the same spread for the bike or run.  So if you have to shortchange anything, my advice would be to make it the swim (as long as you are relatively comfortable swimming 1500m going into training).

Beyond that, my strategy is to try to piggyback either a ride or run onto a swim...for instance, one pool I swim at opens at 6am...I sometimes would get in 2000-2500 yards and then go out for a tempo run between 7 and 8...shower at the pool after the run and then off to work.  On the weekends, I might swim before my long run.

I agree with this.

Also, if you need to rearrange that much of the training plan, then you're not looking at the best plan for you.  Either try to find another plan that doesn't require that much modification, create your own program from scratch (if you have enough experience), or hire a coach who understands your time constraints.

Good to hear...  I might have found a way to do at least some 2x days each week as my wife will only be working out 3 days a week in the morning.  I'm going to build the training program myself (was an elite rower in HS and have a pretty good understanding of what is required).  I think a sub-7 goal is where I'm setting it with a stretch goal of around 6:15.

Training takes time and you have too be careful you don't cut things too much.  I have young children and I didn't want to be a distance dad while training for an IM.  The kids went to bed at 7:30 so I trained from 8-10pm.  The kids watched cartoons on Sat morning and don't know I exist so I go out for my long Bike @ 6am.  I know of people who on the way home from a day trip with the family will stop 5 miles out from their house and run home.  Look for ways to be gone training that will leave as little impact on the family as posible.  If your gone a lot but to them, it doesn't seem like your gone a lot,  its a great thing