Sprint two weeks before HIM?

I am not super experienced at this so hopefully someone else will chime in, but I'd definitely do a sprint two weeks out of a HIM. A "last Hoorah!" before tapering if you will. I don't see going all out on a sprint with the base that you've built being an issue...Just don't pull a hammy!!

ETA: That dude ^^^ is probably a lot more experienced than I am so I'd probably go with him...

Think of the risk vs. reward.   

Can you do it if you've trained properly for your HIM?  Sure.   What if you get in a wreck / pull a muscle?   

If it's your "A" race, I say stick to your training plan.  If you don't really care about the HIM, race away!

Pro - Test of speed/fitness has some benefits and may help your confidence.

Neutral - Recovery should not be an issue. Two weeks is ample

As a poster above, it's all about risk/reward.

It's a sprint....go race.  And why hold anything back?  It's an hour or so.  The injury "risk", to me, is not a factor....you could get hit by a car crossing the street tomorrow. Even if you do get injured, so what.....there's LOTS more racing.

If you want to race it, go race it.  If you don't want to, have fun with your HIM.

You're right. The risk of injury right after your highest volume period is low and besides, A races are way overrated when there are lots more other races. (pink)

I've missed alot of "A" races over the years for one reason or another.....but I'm still here and almost nobody I started with is.  I say if there is a race  that you'd "love to do" (which is what the OP posted), then you do it.  It might be the last race you get.  "A" race be damned....it'll be there next year too.

(NO PINK)

Here's the answer...ready???  IT DEPENDS...

As others mentioned, there is some risk reward on the injury part...but unless you are being reckless, I wouldn't be scared of injury.  You can get injured a million different ways that has absolutely nothing to do with racing.  Getting in your car and going to the grocery store, there is a risk you might get in a car accident...are you going to lock yourself in a bubble to protect your "A race"?  Ok...that's an extreme example, but you get my point.

Ok...so what does it really depend on.  It depends on where you are in your training cycle, how well you recover from the training of said cycle, how well the sprint fits into your cycle, and how well you normally recover from a sprint.

If you are not currently suffering from fatigue or injury, then as another poster mentioned...if you can't recover from a sprint in 14 days...you might want to consider how ready you are for a HIM.  I totally agree.  You're not going to gain very much fitness in 2 weeks, so doing a sprint isn't likely to ruin or help your HIM fitness...IMO anyway.  What are you going to do training wise if you don't do the sprint?  Are you going to do a 50+ mile long ride Saturday, and a 12+ mile long run Sunday?  Sounds to me like that would take more recovery than a light workout Saturday and a sprint on Sunday...no?  For me it would...so again, it depends on what you would do, and how it would impact you.

FWIW...two weeks before my A race HIM...I raced an Oly.  PR'd the Oly by 3.5 minutes despite the bike being .5 mile longer, and the run being .2 miles longer...and PR'd the HIM by 17 minutes despite tougher weather conditions this year.  I'm not saying that will be the same case for everyone...as most of my improvements were simply due to increased fitness...but it worked for me.

Good luck.

Yep. I've done it and was fine. I'll be doing an Oly two weeks before another HIM. My training volume is rather high, so things like this are easily absorbed. I'm also able to back off for a sec in sketchier situations. You have to know yourself. I'll move fast on the bike, but I'm well in control for what I can do. I know I can back off anywhere if something starts to feel funny. Or even if I think it might feel that way.