Can anyone advise me as to which section to cut out of the half Ironman schedule ? My wahoo kickr core has just arrived 2 months late, so I don’t have time to follow the full plan ahead of my event on May 12th. Where should I be looking to cut the time from ? Base build or speciality phase ? Cheers
Hey there!
With training, you always want to work from the ground up. That means starting with Base then Build and then Specialty. Any time you shave will then be on the latter stages of training 
You will be plenty fit with a full Base and Build phase under your belt 
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Brilliant thanks Bryce
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Specialty is the icing on the cake… or as @Nate_Pearson says, “The gravy on the mashed potatoes” and that’s what you should cut out. Enjoy your training!
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Great question and replies that beg this follow on question: if you have to cut x number of weeks of training from the specialty phase, what is the best way of determining where to make the cuts?
i understand this may not apply to the OP.
Cheers,
Andy.
Soooo…I was planning on doing the 40k TT Spec HV plan (after SSB2 & SPB)…and I know it’s a matter of sharpening, but it doesn’t look that different than Sustained Power Build HV; there’s a practice TT on Thur instead of a Threshold session.
Would I be just as well off, or better, if I did SSB1 - SSB2 - SPB instead of SSB2 - SPB - 40k TT…since the speciality phase is only the “icing”, as it were? 
Generally, you want to start at the beginning and do as much of it as you can, leaving an appropriate amount of taper. That may be anything like several days, one week, or the full two week taper as setup in the plan.
Taper as much or as little as needed for your fatigue and prior experience of being fully prepared for an A-race.
How much training did you do before the kickr arrived?
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Thank you Chad 
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Hey joe
I’ve been on a bit of an extended break from serious training Since September probably only 30 miles a week on the bike
Running wise probably about 25 miles a week and swimming 3000 metres a week - about to start 19week 80/20 half Im plan with a couple
Of b races thrown in (subbing out the bike portion for TR) with the exception of the longer weekend rides
Then a couple of weeks break and completing the tail end of the 80/20 full IM plan ahead of Tenby this year my main goal
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Not no training then but I’d agree with Bryce that you need the Base for the bike fitness then Build makes sense.
You might be able to push the run a bit over the half plan while your bike catches up.
Starting from scratch with SSB I would be our recommendation .
Base is very often overlooked and not always given the attention that it deserves, but taking the time to do a full 12 weeks of base will definitely pay off in the long run.
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Bryce, seems I was confusing in my description.
Currently my full plan is as follows:
SSBLV1+2 - SPBHV - SSB2HV - SPBHV - 40KTTHV
However, with what’s being discussed in this topic, I’d be interested in knowing the pros/cons of eliminating the 40KTT specialty plan and replacing it with SSB1HV (sharpening the abilities vs building more power); making the progression as follows: SSBLV1+2 - SPBHV - SSB1+2HV - SPBHV.
I’m currently finishing Sustained Power Build HV (as bolded above).
Thanks!
Ah thanks for clearing that up. While repeating SSB could be a viable option, we recommend a Base Build Specialty progression in almost all circumstances. We designed the plans with a periodized approach that increases in race specificity the closer you get to your event. For that reason, your best bet will be to follow the recommended Base/ Build/ Specialty progression.
Best of luck!
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Awesome! Thanks for the quick reply, Bryce. I’m still learning the nuances of TR’s structured training. 
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Happy to help! Best of luck with your upcoming season 