Note: If you are using bamboo skewers, make sure you soak them in water for 20 minutes before placing on the grill to prevent them from burning.

Yogurt & Herb Marinated Chicken Kabobs

2-2 ½  pounds chicken breast
6 oz non or low-fat plain Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp agave or honey
Juice of one lemon
6 basil leaves, finely chopped
2 Tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 Tbsp fresh oregano, finely chopped
1 Tbsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1 Tbsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Note: Feel free to add or subtract any herbs, don’t panic if you don’t use all the herbs on this list, the marinade will still be great.

1. Trim fat from chicken breast and lay flat on a large chopping board. Cover with saran wrap and use a meat mallet to lightly pound the chicken. Don’t pound the chicken flat you are simply tenderizing the meat so it welcomes the marinade.
2. Cut the chicken into approximately one-inch cubes and place in a large/deep baking dish.
3. Thoroughly combine all other ingredients in a food processor. If you don’t own a food processor you can combine in a bowl with a whisk.
4. Poor the marinade over the chicken, cover and refrigerate for at least two hours and for up to two days.
5. Once marinated, slide 5-6 pieces of chicken onto each kabob. Oil the grill with a brush or paper towel.  Grill on medium heat for approximately 10 minutes per side, with lid closed, until the chicken cooks through.

Vegetable Kabobs

* wash all vegetables prior to prepping
* all vegetables should be cut into pieces large enough for the skewers you are using

1 eggplant
2 summer/yellow squash
2 zucchini
2 red peppers
8 oz whole button or crimini mushrooms
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp fresh oregano, finely chopped
1 Tbsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

NOTE:  You can use any vegetables that you prefer or use up what’s in your fridge.

1. Once the vegetables are chopped place in a large bowl or dish.
2. Sprinkle all other ingredients over the vegetables and toss with your hands until all vegetables are well coated.
3. Skewer vegetables so each skewer has a nice variety.
4. Use a brush or paper towel to coat the grill with oil. Grill skewers on medium- high heat approximately 2-3 minutes per side, until nicely charred on outside but still slightly firm. They will continue to cook once off the grill and it’s important to pull them before they turn to mush.

Homemade Tzatiki

6 oz low or non-fat plain Greek yogurt
3 Tbsp light sour cream
1/3 – 1/2 English cucumber, chopped
2 Tbsp, heaping, fresh dill, finely chopped
Juice of two lemons
½ Tbsp garlic, finely minced
½ Tbsp agave or honey
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Thoroughly combine all ingredients in a food processor. If you don’t own a food processor, grate the cucumber and whisk with all other ingredients.
2. Store in the fridge.

More recipes from Jessica Cerra. 

Jessica Cerra is the owner of Fit Food by Jess, a private chef and catering company in Encinitas, Calif.  She is also a professional Xterra triathlete and mountain biker.  Follow Jess’ recipes on her “Fit Food by Jess” Facebook page.

Backyard wind tunnel

Aerodynamic testing is the only way to find an individual’s ideal position and equipment. Wind tunnel trials are the gold standard, but they’re expensive. However, cycling scientist Allen Lim, Ph.D., discovered an alternative to wind tunnels years ago—all it takes is a flat stretch of road and a power meter.

Lim’s research found that “power meters are sensitive enough to … detect the changes in aerodynamic resistances associated with modest changes in body position,” which is precisely the goal of a wind tunnel. Meaning: You can collect data from a road test to refine your position. If you don’t own a power meter, consider borrowing or renting one.

» Step 1: Mark a flat stretch of road with consistent pavement. Lim’s testing ground was about 200m long.

» Step 2: Using a rolling start to get up to speed, ride the course at a constant speed while holding your body still. Return to the start and repeat two more trials with the same position.

» Step 3: Make a single change to either your position or equipment and repeat step 2. Record the time for each trial.

» Step 4: Average the power from each group of three trials and find the condition that required the least power. Ride it for a few weeks to find if you can sustain it comfortably.

RELATED: Cameron Dye In The Wind Tunnel

RELATED: Skin Care Tips For Triathletes 

With a fourth place finish in Kona 2011, a win at the 2011 ITU Long Course World Championships, a fifth at 2012’s Abu Dhabi International Triathlon and a sub-nine hour second place finish at the inaugural Ironman Melbourne, Rachel Joyce has made numerous triathlon media headlines in recent months. But this year marks the first time Joyce will make her home base in Boulder, Colo. I caught up with the newly arrived Brit over an afternoon coffee – a favorite local pastime that she’s embraced with ease – to learn about her first impressions of triathlon’s high-altitude haven.

Triathlete.com: What drew you to Boulder? Is it as you expected?

RJ: I was here for two days in November to scope out the town. That was the only time I’d been here until now, but I really liked the feel of the place. The trail runs and cycling are actually better than I had imagined. The climbs are just amazing! Coming from London I just love the fact that I can ride out the door straight into good riding. In London I have an hour’s commute before the ride really starts.

Training at Flatirons [Athletic Club] is as I thought it would be – it’s the who’s who of triathlon. It hasn’t freaked me out too much! Everyone looks so fit there, whether they’re a professional triathlete or not.

Triathlete.com: Who have you been training with?

RJ: I’ve been doing a lot of swims with Julie [Dibens] and a few with Rinny [Carfrae], plus joining in Dave Scott’s sessions. I’ve done a lot of swimming on my own and it’s a lot more fun with other people. I swim much better as well. Of course Julie may only be just off her crutches, but she’s still swimming rings round me!

Triathlete.com: Is the training competitive between all of you?

RJ: No, I don’t think so, especially at this time of year. Maybe it will get a bit more tense in the build up to Kona, but I don’t think so. It feels pretty relaxed. It’s just training as far as I’m concerned.

Triathlete.com: Do you have any favorite rides yet?

RJ: I haven’t done enough to have a favorite! I’ve just been taking a different road up into the mountains each time I ride, then kind of winding my way around. I haven’t done any really long rides yet, but I’m looking forward to that.

Triathlete.com: How has your adjustment been to the altitude?

RJ: Difficult! I flew into Colorado three weeks ago. I spent a week in Winter Park, so I was really high up [9100 ft.] and I was struggling. I just felt terrible. I had really achy limbs. I use Restwise, which is a way of monitoring your recovery – you take your pulse in the morning and it also measures your blood oxygen saturation. My SPO2 was down at 89 – when usually you want to see it over 96%. Someone told me that if you’re in hospital [and it’s that low] they give you pure oxygen! The analysis from the Restwise guys was: You must have been feeling pretty awful! I thought it was just me being a slow responder to altitude, but I actually had an infection. Once I found that out and was taking antibiotics, I started responding.

I’ve also been monitoring my iron levels since arriving as I am susceptible to low iron, so I wanted to make sure the additional stress of being at altitude didn’t make that worse.  Luckily I seem to have responded well in that respect. I can now climb the stairs without wanting to pass out!

Triathlete.com: What’s your living situation?

RJ: I’m staying with a local guy called Adam Chase. He has an incredible house and has been really hospitable. I think every pro in Boulder has stayed with him at some point! Right now there’s a great mix here: a student who just graduated, another girl who is writing a book and guides hikes and then two French people who are visiting to promote their running website, Goodpeoplerun.com. Over the past few years I’ve done lots of homestays. It’s a really nice way to get introduced to a place, meet more people and make new friends. The only awkward thing was that I was sick for the first week so I spent a good deal of time sleeping. Now they’re all saying to me, “Wow, you’re actually quite bubbly and you do train!”

Triathlete.com: It must be difficult to pack for a season overseas. How much stuff did you bring?

RJ: Probably not enough winter stuff, given the weather lately! I actually worked it out that when I got here, because I’d moved out of where I was living in London back in June and was staying with various friends, I hadn’t actually unpacked my bag for about eight months. My wardrobe is very limited! I’ve been on a long trips and just worn things to death so I end up never wanting to wear some of my clothes again! Coming here I traveled pretty light – I had a bike box, a wheel bag and one suitcase. I need to go shopping!

Triathlete.com: How long will you stay in Boulder?

RJ: I’ll probably stay through November or December. I’m keen to come back after Kona, whether I decide to race post-Kona or not. I want to be here when it’s snowing, after the season is over and everyone’s ready to have some fun!

PHOTOS: ITU Long Distance World Championships 

Photo: Kevin Cox/Getty Images for ITU

Eva Dollinger. Photo: Kurt Hoy

As a triathlon coach, it might confuse you to hear my argument for why forgoing a coach and instead structuring your own training can be a good thing. But hear me out—the benefits might surprise you.

No one knows your strengths and weaknesses better than you do. Triathlon training is a learning process as you fine-tune what works and what doesn’t work for you. You become more aware of your body and its responses to a variety of training situations. Self-coaching makes you tune in closely to your body’s responses and make honest assessments.

You learn how to become your own motivator. You must find motivation and get yourself out the door for a workout for self-imposed reasons, and not because you have to answer to a coach. Your dependency on others to create motivation greatly decreases, which comes in handy in challenging race situations, when you have only yourself to rely upon for that kick of motivation.

You know why you are doing certain workouts. In order to coach yourself you have to ask the question “why” for each workout. Instead of doing a workout and not knowing its purpose, you learn to understand the goal of each workout. Driving your own workouts keeps you connected to the short-term goals that will help you realize your long-term objectives.

You can take credit for your own success. Getting yourself across the finish line after self-coaching yields big returns in terms of self-confidence and personal satisfaction. This kind of success can also translate to other challenges in your life. With proven results under your belt, you can become a good mentor for other triathletes.

It’s free. Need I say more?

When deciding if you should be your own coach, take some time to plot out your goals for the upcoming season. Then, consider what you need to do to accomplish those goals. Do you need to bike longer? Be able to run a faster half-marathon? Working backward from your overall goal and looking at the time frame you have to complete your goals will help you tremendously. Then, introduce the details. What are your daily workouts going to be like in terms of duration, frequency and intensity? This is where you become a student of the sport. There are many good online resources and training books (we recommend “Your Best Triathlon” or any other Joe Friel title).

If you find yourself questioning something in your training, don’t be afraid to ask for advice from those more experienced or knowledgeable than you. With time, you’ll be able to understand your physiological responses, adaptations and improvements more intimately than any other coach could.

RELATED: Eight Reasons Your Coach Hates You 

“I was always going to go over and ‘watch’ Kona this year with the idea of racing it next year, but the new selection policy grants current world champions a wild card into Kona, provided they finish one full Ironman – I finally decided to take up the offer,” Hauschildt said in a press release from USM Events (the organizers of Ironman Cairns).

The drama does not end there. Hauschildt, who comes from a professional running background, is dealing with a lower leg injury that, according to the press release, “if not rested from running could potentially turn into a stress fracture and derail her entire season.”

In the race Hauschildt will swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and then walk the marathon.

“I was so disappointed with the results and surprised to be honest, I really didn’t feel it was that bad and just expected to be told to rest it for a few days. I kept hoping it was all just a dream the next day.

“I was so nervous about doing an Ironman but once you’ve fully committed that’s your big goal and everything goes into it. Training had been going so well and I’d just started to get excited, ” she said. “It’s not ideal but I’d like to go to Kona this year and have a good Ironman 70.3 season, so I am looking on the up side of it all.”

Hauschildt says her main goals this year are to defend her Ironman World Championship 70.3 title and do well at the Hy-Vee 5150 US Championship. Both races take place in the United States in September.

PHOTOS: 2011 Ironman World Championship 70.3 

“It’s a tough call to be firing for all three distances but I’m confident I can handle the distance of a full Ironman now after having completed the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon.

“I’m not putting any expectation on myself this year,” she explained. “It’ll be a great experience and I’m sure I’ll be a lot more comfortable going into next year’s world champs with this under my belt. In comparison to the injuries I sustained as a runner I’m confident that this is only a minor setback and won’t affect my season in the US.”

Hauschildt anticipates it will take her six hours to complete the marathon, putting her at the finish line 12 hours after the start.

There may be some bragging rights up for grabs in the Hauschildt house with husband Jared competing in his first-ever triathlon at Ironman Cairns.

“Fingers crossed I can catch and pass Mel before she finishes her marathon walk. This might be my only chance to say I beat Mel in a tri,” said Jared.

“I hope Jared still has the legs to come back and walk with me after he flies past me on the run,” said Hauschildt. “I think he will surprise himself as long as he gets his nutrition right. He can swim all day long and we all know he can run like an African. But being such a lean runner he doesn’t have any fat stores to call upon so he’s going to have to eat like crazy.”

RELATED: Challenge Cairns To Be Ironman Cairns Going Forward 

RELATED: Where Did Melissa Rollison Come From?

One year after releasing the EPS road group—Campagnolo’s motor-driven components—the Italian company gave triathletes what we want: bar-end shifters and TT brake lever shifters to adapt the electronic components for triathlon.

The shift levers look like shrunken versions of Campagnolo’s cable tri shifters. Pull the lever back to upshift and press it down to drop a gear, just like the mechanical version. Instead of repeatedly throwing the lever to change more than one gear at a time, the system can burn through multiple gears by holding the lever in the shift position. The longer its held, the more gears it shifts through the 11-speed cassette. There is no limit to the shift range with a single tug on the lever.

Crisp, positive shift feel is the calling card of Campagnolo’s mechanical groups, and Tom Kattus, General Manager of Campagnolo North America, said preserving that “tactile feel” was one of the goals when creating the shifters. “[Riders] want to feel like they’re actually shifting rather than like pushing a mouse button,” said Kattus. The bar-end levers create a slight “click” feeling when shifting, but the brake lever shifters really live up to this objective.

A button on top of the brake lever executes the upshifts and another button on the side on the shifter drops gears. There is a fairly wide gap between the two, with the intention of reducing confusion between the downshift button and the upshifter. The buttons feel moderately stiff and require a pretty strong push to shift. They create a satisfyingly firm feeling when depressed. Like the bar-ends, these shifters can also jump through many gears with a single press. A quick-release switch built into the lever allows the brakes to open several millimeters to change wheels or accommodate aero wheels with broad rims.

The derailleurs, chain and cassette are all identical to the Super-Record and Record EPS road versions. Both derailleurs are powered by a worm drive, which is a motor type capable of producing a lot of torque. The front derailleur in particular benefits from high torque shifts. Campagnolo’s Service Center Manager Dan Large says it uses 52 Newton-meters (nm) of force to execute every shift. A mechanical shift typically averages around 30 Newton-meters, says Large. 52nm is equivalent to pulling on a 1-foot lever with about 35 pounds of force. That’s a ton of torque behind a shift.

Setting the front derailleur is remarkably simple. After positioning the cage parallel and 3mm above the chain rings, press both “mode” buttons hidden under the shift levers for 6 seconds, then pull the front shift lever to tell the system you are adjusting the front. Next, use the up- and downshift motion to space the cage off the chain when situated in the small chain ring and biggest rear cog. That’s it. The rest is programmed into the derailleur. It doesn’t use limit screws.

The rear derailleur, however, has one limit screw as a fail-safe to prevent it from shifting into the spokes. A similar pattern of button-presses and lever tugs adjusts the rear for precise shifts. Like the front, it is also not dependent on limit screws. Similar to Shimano’s Dura-Ace Di2 electronic groupset, EPS derailleurs move the specific amount needed for perfect shifts without dropping the chain by tailoring the throw distance based on the gear combination—front and rear—of each shift. Campagnolo says the rear shifts are about 25% faster than a perfectly adjusted, brand new mechanical component group. And unlike the cable-driven groups, EPS shift performance doesn’t suffer from gummed-up housing.

Should the components need a quick adjustment on the fly due to a crash, wheel change or other misadventures, simply depress the mode buttons for 6 seconds then use the shift levers to micro-adjust the derailleurs into place, one fraction of a millimeter at a time.

They can accommodate the full range of Campy’s gear options, which extends to an 11-29 cassette and a 50/34 compact crankset.

Campagnolo says the derailleurs will shift even if under a meter of water. “We haven’t encased them in something waterproof like a camera,” said Kattus. The circuits themselves are waterproof. The Power Unit, which houses both battery and circuit boards that help control the system, is totally sealed. A single charge is said to last for 3-months when riding 300 miles a month, 1.8 months if riding 600 miles in a month and for a single month if riding 1,200 miles in that time period.

Campagnolo is also creating two new aero cranksets. They both have an enormous carbon piece stretching from the pedal spindle to the inner edge of the big chain ring for aerodynamic performance. The shape is reminiscent of the VumaCrono crank Zipp used to make. The premier crank is called the Bora Ultra, and it has Campy’s highest-grade bearings and a titanium spindle. The Bullet Ultra is the second aero crank. It has similar shape and the chain rings have identical ramps and pins to expedite shifting, but a steel spindle and lower-level ceramic bearings. Campagnolo is extremely explicit that every component in the EPS line is designed to work together and function ideally as a group, but as a concession to the frames that comes with integrated cranks, the Italian component maker says it will honor the warranty if used with another crank.

No price is available yet, but it’s not going to be cheap. It will be available in September.

We are taking the components through a preliminary test tomorrow and will follow-up with ride reviews and a preliminary comparison to EPS’s logical adversary, Shimano’s Dura-Ace Di2.

“It’s been brutal…” Kemper explained to Bob Babbitt and Paul Huddle, “It’s been the hardest thing I’ve had to deal with in my career in regards to the recovery process and the therapy I had to go through.”

Kemper’s first race back from the crash was the 2012 ITU World Triathlon San Diego Triathlon on May 12. In order to earn a guaranteed spot on the 2012 London Olympic team Kemper would have to finish as the top American male, or finish in the top-nine athletes. He did both, finishing fifth.

PHOTOS: 2012 ITU WTS San Diego – Men’s Race 

“I think my confidence built over the course of the 10K,” Kemper said. “I wasn’t even in position at the 5K-mark. I still was the third American, even at 5K. So, I built into that run. I don’t have a lot of leg speed right now, so that’s the way I had to run it. I had to back half it and it worked to my advantage and it worked out well for me.”

Going into the race the focus was on Americans like Jarrod Shoemaker and Matt Chrabot, with the possibility of someone like Manny Huerta nabbing one of the two Olympic spots. Very little attention was given to Kemper. Babbitt asked Kemper if he used that as fuel for his race.

“To be honest with you I did. I really did,” Kemper said. “People kind of do write you off and it’s okay with me. I kind of chose, somewhat, to not be talked about because I was declining interviews and stuff like that. But, I’m not going to lie. When you see Jarrod and Matt on the magazines and on the covers you can’t help but be fueled. To think ‘hey, I guess everyone thinks this has been written. Why are we even doing the race?’”

To hear more from Kemper, including how he plans to prepare for the 2012 London Olympics, listen to the Competitor Radio podcast.

RELATED: Post-San Diego Interview With Hunter Kemper

Photos by Evelyn Reinson.

Americans Lance Armstrong and Jessica Jacobs took the titles at Sunday’s Ironman 70.3 Florida triathlon. Read the race recap here.

More photos from Ironman 70.3 Florida.

RELATED: Post-Ironman 70.3 Florida Interview With Lance Armstrong 

PowerBar Double Latte Energy Gel, $1.49
This flavor of energy gel tasted sweeter than expected for a coffee-flavored gel but is easy to swallow due to its low viscosity. Each gel contains 200mg of sodium and 50mg of caffeine, which is actually sourced from tea. Powerbar.com

Infinit Mud, $29.95
Infinit Nutrition’s Mud is as close as sports nutrition has come to an actual cup of joe, with coffee among its all-natural ingredients. The mocha drink, which can be used before or after a workout, is packed with 32g of carbs, 29g of protein, about 20mg of caffeine, plus omega-3 fatty acids. It tastes great with milk (cold or hot) or in smoothies. Added to coconut milk, it tastes much like an Almond Joy. Infinitnutrition.com

Bonk Breaker Espresso Chip, $2.50
This energy bar contains ground espresso beans mixed with dark chocolate chips to create a tasty, semi-sweet 220-calorie bar with 40mg of caffeine. Developed by an Ironman athlete in his own kitchen, Bonk Breaker bars are gluten- and dairy-free and are easy to digest during workouts. Bonkbreaker.com

RELATED: How Many Carbs?

More pro transitions.

RELATED VIDEO: Jesse Thomas Repeats At Wildflower

Elite Women’s Preview
Andrea Hewitt missed only her second series race in series history by sitting out San Diego, but that does nothing to affect her favortism for Madrid. Hewitt’s incredible run of podium finishes hasn’t been matched over the past six months, in fact the last time she wasn’t on an ITU podium was in London last year, when she finished 6th. She’s also a previous Madrid winner, it’s where she claimed her first series win back in 2009 and could take the lead in the overall series rankings with a win.

But Hewitt isn’t the only one in form. Nicola Spirig endured a tough 2011, but is off to a brilliant start to the Olympic year with a silver medal in Mooloolaba, a fifth place in Sydney and a European Championship win. The two women that shared the podium with Spirig in Eilat are also ones to watch, Ainhoa Murua finished sixth in Sydney before going on to silver in Israel while Emmie Charayron has great history in the Spanish capital. She won silver here in 2009, before stamping another classy run last year to claim bronze.

Elite Men’s Preview
It will be the first year in series history that Alistair Brownlee does not win in Madrid, as he’s sitting this one out in his continued recovery from an Achilles injury. However, that doesn’t mean there won’t be a Brownlee on top of the podium for the fourth year in a row. Jonathan Brownlee might not have competed in a race in seven months when he came to San Diego, but it didn’t matter as he dominated the field to claim his first series win in 2012. Jonathan is also almost as comfortable with Madrid as his older brother; last year they stood on the podium together for the first time here – they went on to do that six times in 2011 – and he said after San Diego he couldn’t wait to race in Casa de Campo park.

Read more: Triathlon.org 

See the press release from USA Triathlon below:

Nearly 70 U.S. paratriathletes will descend on Austin, Texas, for the 2012 USA Paratriathlon National Championship, set for Monday, May 28 at the Capital of Texas Triathlon.

Athletes will race on a 750-meter swim, 20-kilometer bike, 5-kilometer run course to national championship titles in six different paratriathlon categories, as well as Team USA spots for the 2012 ITU Paratriathlon World Championships.

Eleven defending national champions will be competing Monday in Austin: Geoffrey Kennedy (TRI-1, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico), Melissa Stockwell (TRI-2, Chicago, Ill.), Travis Ricks (TRI-2, San Diego, Calif.), Beth Price (TRI-3, Spanish Fort, Ala.), David Kyle (TRI-3, Athens, Ala.), Robin Caruso (TRI-4, Ridgefield, Conn.), Joel Rosinbum (TRI-4, Scottsdale, Ariz.), Danielle McLaughlin (TRI-5, Santa Monica, Calif.), Jamie Brown (TRI-5, Carlsbad, Calif.), Patricia Walsh (TRI-6, Seattle, Wash.) and Aaron Scheidies (TRI-6, Seattle, Wash.). Stockwell and McLaughlin also are reigning world champions.

To qualify for Paratriathlon Nationals, athletes must have completed a sprint triathlon in two hours, or an Olympic-distance triathlon in four hours.

In addition to the national championship event, a number of athletes will participate in the Physically Challenged Open Wave, which is open to paratriathletes of all levels but does not qualify athletes for national titles or world championship slots.

In order to qualify for Team USA for the ITU Paratriathlon World Championships in Auckland, New Zealand, on Oct. 22, athletes must finish in the top three of their respective paratriathlon category in Austin. When team size is set for the world championship event by ITU, more athletes may be added to the team by discretionary selections. Visit usatriathlon.org for more information on the qualification process.

Additionally, the top finisher in each category will also earn a spot on the USA Paratriathlon National Team for 2012. Paratriathlon Nationals is the first event of the three-race 2012 USA Paratriathlon Race Series, which also features the Denver Triathlon on June 10 and the Nickel City Triathlon on Sept. 16 in Buffalo, N.Y.

Interest in paratriathlon is at an all-time high and the sport continues to grow following its inclusion in the Paralympic Games program. The International Paralympic Committee announced in December 2010 that paratriathlon will make its debut at the Paralympic Summer Games in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.

While riding home after a training ride in New York City’s Central Park, 32-year-old triathlete Isela Rosales flipped over her bike while trying to avoid a deliveryman who entered the bike lane unexpectedly. Luckily her helmet saved her from any head injuries, but she severely fractured her jaw and had to have it wired shut. For eight weeks, she was unable to speak and couldn’t eat anything but liquid nutrition through a straw.

After hitting an emotional and physical low point about three weeks in, “I made it my mission to create my own recipes of nutritional smoothies that would help re-build my strength and attempt to fuel my depleted body,” Rosales says. She started blending “real meal” smoothies out of desperation, including burgers, rotisserie chickens and even a Chipotle burrito bowl.

To aid in communication, Rosales created typed message cards with common phrases such as “Talk to me, I’m bored” and “Yes, I will get back on my bike!”

Following eight weeks of anxious waiting, Rosales had her jaw set free and got back on her bike the next morning. “Although I carefully watched other cyclists and runners to respond to any sudden movements, I felt a unique sense of liberation on this bike ride,” Rosales say.  She decided to still race Vineman 70.3 the following weekend, and even without two months of training, she pulled off a 5:35 personal best.

At one time or another you or a friend have “mapped your run” or “mapped your ride” and beginning today there’s a whole lot more you can do in addition to those those things.

MapMyFitness announced the launch of a completely rebuilt platform with several new features for its portfolio of online fitness websites, including an innovative feature called Courses, one of the most advanced integrations of Google Maps’ API, and a fresh look and feel. Courses will span five primary categories of sports, including cycling, running, walking, hiking and winter sports, as well as hundreds of subcategory specialty activities like cross-country skiing and unicycling.

Courses now provides athletes or all levels along with casual enthusiasts an unprecedented leaderboard and “check-in” technology, and will be available initially through a private beta test for first 100,000 users who sign up at New.mapmyfitness.com/maps/courses. In addition to the introduction of Courses, MapMyFITNESS’ new features include the latest mapping technology from Google. MapMyFITNESS is the only online fitness service to offer Google API 3 maps integration, which enables users to create new Courses directly from their iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Windows Mobile or iPad. The Google API 3 integration also provides route details like traffic patterns and temperature in real-time, which will help users better plan and experience activities. The new site, which provides fitness enthusiasts five-times-faster performance, is now available to everyone at New.mapmyfitness.com, and widespread access to Courses will be offered later this summer.

“With more than 9 million registered users, we are the largest and fastest growing fitness tracking community,” said Richard Jalichandra, chief executive officer of MapMyFitness. “We’re very excited to keep innovating and improving our tools for people of all levels to improve their fitness, nutrition and overall health, and today’s launch offers both cutting edge technology and ease of use design.”

For More: MapMyFitness.com

Julia Polloreno: You went into Florida as the favorite—how did it feel to win your first 70.3 after so many years away from the sport?

Lance Armstrong: First of all, I didn’t feel like I was the favorite—you guys said that.

JP: Well, we were right!

LA: [laughing] I wasn’t trying necessarily to win the race. I was just trying to keep working on the nutrition part of it—trying to get it to a better place than it had been the first three go-rounds, which were quasi-disastrous. Perhaps there have been too many races lately, and there’s another one in two weeks and then France three weeks after that, but I don’t have experience and time on my side so I’ve got to use these races to learn as much as I can. It’s hard to simulate that in training. So that’s all I wanted to do—dial in the nutrition part, and it seems like, based on my feelings, that I got close.

JP: Did you do something dramatically different or was it some details you fine-tuned that made a big difference?

LA: Well, I think there are two things: the amount of calories you consume, and the type—so either a sports drink, a gel or a piece of solid food. All of those things we considered, and I guess the takeaway for me was to consume a lot less calories than I had been consuming. I was ingesting a massive amount of calories in the other races, just assuming I could handle that, and my gut was turning off completely. And then it’s doing a much better job of hydrating the days and hours before the start of the race. In the other races I took in mostly sports drink water and gels, and [in Florida] I went with sports drink with salt tabs dissolved in the drink, and Honey Stinger Waffles—solid food [on the bike]. On the run I just took Coke and water at the aid stations. I started with two gels and didn’t feel like I needed the energy so just stayed with water and Coke. I wore a regular hat—not a visor—and was taking cups of ice and putting it in my hat and then putting my hat back on, just keeping the ice constantly on my head so that it would melt and drip down, keeping me pretty cool.

JP: Now that you’re four races in and have a win under your belt, what have you learned about managing your effort on the bike to have a good run? You cranked out a 1:15 in Florida—how do you manage your effort on the bike so you can run like that?

LA: At least it seems—and it’s not a knock on other people’s tactics—but for me, my run is not going to be affected by my effort on the bike. It’s probably a better strategy for me in the future to utilize my strengths. Even if I rode an easy bike, I’m not going to get off and run 1:11. But I suspect I can ride harder than I rode Sunday and still run 1:14, 1:16, somewhere in there. I believe that if I can constantly ride close to two hours and run 1:15, maybe you’re not always going to win every race, but you’re gonna be close.

PHOTOS: Lance Armstrong Wins Ironman 70.3 Florida 

JP: Are you intentionally picking races that are in hot and humid locations to prep yourself for Kona?

LA: [laughing] No! But it has been that way. Panama was my own pick but certainly all the races have been hot and humid. Actually, they’ve been a lot hotter and more humid than Kona will ever be. Kona is nothing compared to Panama or Galveston. Haines City [Florida] was actually very comfortable—I didn’t start to feel heat until the last part of the bike and then on the run.

JP: Racing three half-ironmans within a span of six weeks and then doing an Ironman three weeks after that may, by your average triathlete’s standards, seem like quite a bit of racing. Are you just used to that kind of volume from pro cycling? Does it not feel like a lot of racing to you?

LA: I wouldn’t say it’s the best plan, but like I mentioned, I don’t really have a choice, especially when I’m still learning and trying to get up to speed on the technical aspects of these races. I can’t simulate them in training. I don’t have time on my side—I’m 41 years old. It’s not like I’m 30 and am saying to myself, ‘I’m going to do this for 10 years,’ and can take a year to figure it out. I literally have months to figure it out and that’s not a lot of time. When I added St. Croix, I thought in the back of my head I should probably scratch Florida because it’s too much racing. But when St. Croix was yet another nutritional disaster, I thought I had to go do it because I felt recovered from St. Croix and felt nutritionally I’ve gotta keep trying different things to see if it works. Fortunately I think I’m on to something that’s gonna work for me. I will back off the racing after Ironman France.

JP: With all that you’ve got going on, are you just finding pockets of time to train? How do you balance training for such high level racing with an already very full life?

LA: Well, I know I get a little bit of grief from different factions and parts of the sport for having kind of an entourage or a posse but it’s the only way I can seem to manage it with five kids, a foundation and all these other business obligations that I’m trying to fulfill. If I didn’t have a good core group of people around me then I wouldn’t be able to do it. But at the same time, I don’t feel like I need to defend that—I’ve worked hard for the lifestyle I have and the system that’s in place, so it’s not as if my mom is the Queen of England. I came from nothing and worked hard to have what I have and I’m not going to make any excuses for that.

JP: How are you feeling about tackling the full-Iron distance next month in France? Do you have any specific goals, or is it going to be a big experiment for you?

LA: It’s going to be a complete experiment. I’m very curious-slash-slightly nervous. But I don’t know, I look at my performance—I guess I was running 5:47s on Sunday—and I don’t think I could have doubled that, but I do think I could have held that for 20 miles, which is encouraging for me. My long runs are getting longer—the fatigue and soreness post-long run is not nearly what it used to be. That’s also encouraging. My recovery from the 70.3s has gone down from Panama to Galveston to St. Croix to here. After Panama I was literally out of training for two weeks. Galveston was a week and St. Croix was two or three days. Tomorrow or the day after I’ll be back hitting it hard again in preparation for Nice, which I have to be doing. My longest run has been 18 miles. I need to get into the 22-, 23-mile range. All the while I have to juggle that with racing Honu. And then, after Honu I basically go from Kona to France, which is a heck of a haul.

JP: You said you’re recovering a lot more quickly from races as you progress through the racing season. What’s made the biggest difference in being able to bounce back more quickly?

LA: After Panama I was like…you know those people who after they’ve run a marathon they’re walking down steps backwards and it’s like someone took a bat to their quads? More frequent runs and longer runs have made the soreness much, much less than it was. The other thing is, I’ve layered in more speed work on the track. I tend to recover from those a lot more quickly too.

JP: So, now you’re in Kona and just going to have some downtime with the family and do some training before Honu… 

LA: Yeah, this is without a doubt my favorite place in the world to spend time, whether it’s on or off a bike, in or out of the water. And I’m excited to race again—I was very encouraged by Sunday, but I’m not going to rest on that. I’m going to go out and retry what we did in Florida and see if it continues to work all the while knowing that Nice is twice as long and not as intense so nutrition is going to be a whole other experiment there. Hopefully I don’t mess it up too bad.

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A Conversation With Lance Armstrong

The month of May looms large in the household of Greg and Laura Bennett.

That’s when it will be decided whether the pair—two of the most talented and successful short-course triathletes in history, with 30 World Cup podiums between them—will score berths on Team U.S.A. bound for London’s Olympic Games. Oddly enough, as firmly focused on the five-ring circus as the Bennetts remain, speak to them long enough and it becomes apparent that racing in the 2012 Olympics is not a deal-breaker for their happiness. They want it badly. They’re driven to get there, having crafted their life together into a targeted four-year block. Yet they’ll be categorically OK if selection does not sway in their favor.

The politics of Olympic selection are nothing if not complex. Chances for selection run highest for Laura, 36, originally from West Palm Beach, Fla. She simply needs to best her close friend and only remaining rival for the third U.S. women’s spot, Sarah Haskins, at the final qualifier, the ITU World Triathlon Series San Diego race in May, and place in the top nine in the process. If neither Bennett nor Haskins places in the top nine women overall in San Diego, their fate will be decided at the discretion of USA Triathlon’s selection committee.

For Greg Bennett, 40, an Australian by birth who now enjoys dual citizenship and races under the U.S. flag, the probability of a team position is far more tentative and confusing. Simply put, qualifying for the U.S. Olympic triathlon team is all about navigating the ITU’s complicated race series—its World Triathlon Series (which has only been around since 2009), World Cup series and Continental Cup series—and earning enough points to qualify for the U.S.’s two Olympic Trials: the World Triathlon Series race in London this past August and the San Diego race in May. The World Triathlon Series races are weighted more heavily points-wise, offer larger prize purses and more media recognition, and draw stronger fields—all factors that Greg favors. The Cup races are less competitive, yet occur more frequently, thus they are favored by athletes considered to be strategic “points chasers.”

Early in 2011 Greg focused on the World Triathlon Series races; however, his performances were not up to par. When he failed to earn a start at the London race he could have then packed his schedule with late-season World Cup events to erase his points deficit. But he recognized the risk in taxing his 40-year-old body too close to San Diego, digging a hole from which he’d be unlikely to emerge. Instead, when an invitation came to race the renowned Hy-Vee 5150 U.S. Championship, Bennett toed the non-drafting start line and crushed the world-class field. His victory confirmed his standing as one of America’s premier short-course professionals and earned him a lucrative $151,500 prize.

Bennett’s business-mindedness and desire to face off against his fiercest rivals have always played a hand in his planning, though perhaps to the detriment of his Olympic dream. While he’s been in close communication with USA Triathlon’s high performance director in regard to his race choices, he knows USA Triathlon’s hands may be tied when it comes to naming the U.S. men’s team.

“USAT has been brilliant, doing everything they can to help me make the team,” said Greg. “I understand that the path I’ve chosen—not to run around chasing points—has put them in a difficult spot. But do I believe I’m good enough to represent the U.S.A.? Absolutely! I’ve balanced my choices against my big-picture goals, but I’m not shutting the door on my Olympic hopes. USAT will have to shut it for me.”

Right now, that door remains ever so slightly ajar. Greg will not race for points heading into San Diego in a final effort to make the start list. If two Americans place top nine overall in the race, they’ll automatically earn spots on the U.S. men’s Olympic triathlon team. However, if two men do not automatically qualify, the selection committee may opt to pull strings in Greg’s favor with an outright team appointment.

Adding to the complexity—and allure—of Greg’s impending 2012 season is the World Triathlon Corporation’s (WTC) recent rule change for professional qualification to its championship events. As the 2011 Hy-Vee champion, Greg is now granted automatic entry to all of WTC’s 2012 championship races, including the Ironman World Championship 70.3 in Las Vegas and the Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, as long as he validates his qualifying spots by completing WTC races of equal distance. Immediately on the heels of WTC’s January announcement, Greg proclaimed his intention to race the inaugural Ironman Asia-Pacific Championship in Melbourne, Australia, on March 25 in order to secure his place on the start line in Kona, come October.

In theory, Bennett could race in Melbourne, receive a discretionary invitation to London’s Olympics, then compete in all three WTC championship events—5150, Ironman 70.3 and Ironman—in a single season, providing him a smorgasbord of the marquee races he savors. In practice, this may prove quixotic, yet one thing is certain: The triathlon public will watch with eager anticipation to see how Greg’s plan plays out.

Meanwhile, at this point it’s still anyone’s guess as to how many—two or three—and which American men will race in London.

Simply understanding the selection process is exhausting enough, never mind the painstaking preparation—physically, mentally and emotionally—required to compete at the highest level of the sport. Olympic athletes are often singularly focused to a fault, honed in laser-like on one event on one single day every four years. The Bennetts have both been down that road before, with Greg racing in Athens in 2004 and Laura in Beijing in 2008. Both finished fourth, the most painful position to land in a competition where medals—and the media and financial opportunities they often bestow—are only awarded three deep.

But the Bennetts hold no remorse over their bridesmaid spots.

“I think we are two of the most fortunate athletes in the sport,” said Greg. “Yes, we have both come fourth in the Olympics, but put it in perspective. It’s not a bad result, and we still had an amazing experience for both of us.”

“That’s what we talk about,” said Laura. “The journey. Because at the end of the day, you may or may not get the result you wanted. But if you didn’t notice what happened every step of the way, all the way up to it, and experience everything you could all the way, then you’ve really missed out. When I was swimming [at Southern Methodist University] there were so many Olympians who were super-depressed after the Olympics. Even sometimes the people who had won, because they were expecting a certain amount of recognition and they didn’t get it. A diver I heard about was almost suicidal. Or people who didn’t perform, they didn’t remember the whole process. All the experiences they had, all the friends they made, none of that. And it’s like, ‘Really?’”

PHOTOS: The Bennetts

Minus an outright Olympic obsession, one might wonder what does drive Greg and Laura Bennett to train and perform at the pinnacle of short-course triathlon as they have for more than a decade.

“It’s all about experiences,” said Greg. “Going back to the ’04 Olympics, what I really remember is the eight weeks before. Laura put her own training aside and the two of us trained everything together. Every workout. It was the intensity and focus of that period that sticks in my mind forever. That, and the opening ceremony and all the activities leading up to the Games. The fourth place is irrelevant. My Olympic experience is that eight-week block and the experiences surrounding the race. We did it together. The journey is all of it. It really is.”

It’s a journey the Bennetts intend to make hand-in-hand if either of them winds up competing in London. Indeed, Greg’s impetus in gaining American citizenship was largely influenced by his desire to race on the same national team as his wife.

“It was always a case where both of our countries would let the other one into ‘camp,’ but they wouldn’t let either of us out. So if we both raced the same Games, we’d be split up the entire time,” explained Laura.

“It’s been that way since back when we were doing the World Series together, from 2000 to 2006,” said Greg. “We were always staying in different hotels. It was crazy. We both had great teams, but it was always challenging trying to juggle and see each other. And when you’re used to spending your time 24/7 with someone, well, it kind of sucked! That wasn’t what I wanted from the experience. I wanted to be with her and she wanted to be with me.”

Teamwork and togetherness are defining themes for this twosome, and nearly a dozen years into their relationship they show no signs of weakness in their united front.

“Sometimes they still are like teenagers in love,” said longtime friend, fellow pro and frequent houseguest Mathias Hecht. “They really are a perfect match. They both laugh a lot. Greg doesn’t work or function the same way without Laura, and the same the other way around. I have the greatest respect for what they’ve achieved in their careers, but I think they are also role models as human beings. Living together under the same roof with them showed me what an amazing team they are.”

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