Recently returned from Colorado where my daughter Ciara "Pepper" Hopkins, age 11, was competing in the USA Triathlon Youth National Championship in Colorado Springs. She was defending her National title from 2007, but it was not to be. This year she was the 2nd youngest athlete in her division and placed 5th overall and was the 1st eleven year old across the finish line. She would have taken 3rd but made a wrong turn on the bike course...some lessons are difficult to learn. Congrats to those who finished ahead of her!

After Nationals we took a week off and stayed with family in a cabin at 9200 ft in the Sangre de Cristo (Blood of Christ) mountains...not much training...just having fun and spending time with family. We did get to climb Handies Peak a 14,000 ft mountain in the San Juan mountain range, went white water kayaking on the Rio Grande River in New Mexico, and managed to do some altitude running and mountain biking around the cabin....a challenge for a flatlander at that altitude.

Saw lots of wildlife while staying at the cabin. Each morning a Mule deer doe with fawn would saunter into the meadow just off the cabin porch to the delight of all. While driving around one evening we came upon a large herd of Elk grazing on a mountain side meadow...continued on and passed a young bear, maybe 225 lbs who, when startled by us, began to climb up a tree, stop and elongate himself making him much thinner and very difficult to see...he really blended in with the tree. On the way back, just before dark, a large porcupine crossed the road just ahead of us and slowly made his way down an embankment to his den...very unusual animal. There were also redtailed hawks, coyote, and beaver near the property. It was an interesting trip and a nice diversion from the training schedule but, alas, back I am..trying to figure out how to work in my training in the midst of tropical storm Faye...and the several hundred emails in my inbox.

Next race is the Nation's Triathlon in Washington DC on September 14th. I'm looking forward to this Olympic distance race..the swim is in the Potomac and the run course is a closed course around the Mall and past all the monuments and memorials...should be a great day....