Sprint Tri week before 70.3 event?

I'd vote no on the sprint.

it's just too darn close to the HIM.

x2.

With the HIM training you should crush the sprint.  You probably won't feel it the next day, much less 8 days down the road.  I wouldn't hesitate on both.

And I am going to provide the same answer to him:

I am going to go against the flow here and say there is nothing wrong whatsoever with the sprint.

The swim will take nothing out of you whatsoever.  It is a low impact activity that would allow you a real time test of your equipment.  Race goggles okay? Wetsuit okay?  

Gives you a real time opportunity to practice transitions (I would do them exactly as you plan on doing them for the A race, elevated heart rate and all.  Gong to wear socks for your 70.3, but don't normally wear them for sprints....guess what, on this sprint you will.

Lets just say the bike is 20 miles (1 hour), do a 10 minute warm up then 3 x 5:00 at 70.3 race pace (not sprint race pace) with 2 min recovery between then ride your endurance or recovery pace back to transition.

On the run (5K I'm assuming), I would see how long it takes you to settle in to your 70.3 race pace and heart rate, then hold it there for about 5 min and gradually back it on down and cool down heading to the finish.

If the 70.3 is your A race, the sprint before can most certainly be used as a tune up, but race it with a specific plan of execution.  

I am all for A races guys, but very. VERY few of us got into this sport just for our A races.  The minutes you stop doing the fun races because you fear they might hurt your performance in your A race is the minute you start to forget why you're even in the sport to begin with.

Anyone who is adequately trained enough for a HIM that even knows what an A race is should be able to handle a sprint without causing fatigue or hurting performance a week later.  Find me a training plan that does not have 1.5 - 2 hours of swimming, biking and running in the week leading up to a HIM and MAYBE then I can start to listen to a theory that suggests a sprint is too much of a strain a week out from a HIM.  

It isn't about the distance, it is about the effort. if you are inadequately prepared, then yes, the distance of a sprint may be a struggle.  BUT, if you are inadequately prepared, you shouldn't have an A race to begin with. 

Go support your local races.  Go see the people you train with.  Go see the people that you share the roads and pools with.  Go help a newbie.  Go patron the sponsors.  Go for the fun.  You probably started a local races and will probably end there as well.  Don't get too caught up in the game you forget why you're even playing.

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Thanks for the responses.  Very helpful.  

I'm doing the sprint.  

Good for you. 

Cool.  Add another vote under the "triathlon ought to be fun" column.

If I were "saving up" for the HIM, I'd treat the sprint as a fun group workout with transition practice.  I did exactly this prior to Oceanside 70.3 last year, did a PR on the sprint despite a dropped chain, and got a PR at Oceanside anyway.

I say go for it... (sounds like you are already)   We train to race..and like you say, it would be hard to back off..but if you can that'd be good.  treat it like a brink.  Its what, about 1-1.5 hrs?

How about doing OWS (2000M) Splash and Dash a week before swim portion of Leadman relay (2500 M)?