Oh yeah. Cross training. I feel like I used to be better at it. But when I was training for my last "regular" marathon (the Tobacco Road Marathon in Raleigh, NC, on March 18), I settled into a groove: four runs a week, three yoga classes a week, rest day (or maybe two). I used to lift weights or swim laps or go to a spin class or ride my bike to work at least once a week during previous training cycles, but for all the reasons I listed as impediments to training I mentioned in my earlier post, those habits have fallen by the wayside.

So my Memorial Day weekend mountain biking trip to Fruita with my boyfriend (we'll call him "LB") was somewhat of a humbling experience. A single 8-mile ride four weeks before the trip does not a training regimen (nor mountain biker) make. In the four days we were there, I rode twice. Hills that LB would blaze up on his single-speed left me a panting mess in granny gear.

I say this was humbling because my workouts are typically, shall we say, more consistent than his. (He rides on weekends with the odd post-work jaunt from time to time. I do something active [run, hike, Incline, or yoga] almost every day, and sometimes I squeeze in a double workout day.)

Are the muscles used in biking versus running really that different? I have no idea. My two Western Slope trail runs went well, which was heartening. If you're in the Fruita area, I highly recommend the Devil's Canyon [PDF] area. There's a nice network of trails there, including one around the rim that features some great views. I was able to run from the trailhead back to our hotel on the south side of Fruita, another bonus. I also did a shorter run on the Moore Fun trail, part of the Desert RATS 25/50-miler course.

So I won't get too wrapped up by my performance (or lack of) on a bike this past weekend. I've read enough Runner's World (and run enough races) to know that the best way to train for a specific race is to simulate race conditions, so back to Barr Trail and Garden of the Gods I go this weekend. The first race of the Triple Crown is next weekend, of course, and I'm eager to wear my shiny new PikesPeakSports.us Triple Crown Runners singlet. (I've never been on a running team before!)

I've shifted perspective a bit since my last post: Instead of being freaked out, I'm excited about the challenge awaiting me at the end of the summer. (In my next post, I will probably have gone back to being freaked out.) Either way, in the end, I'll get to call myself, as teammate Sharon says, a round-tripper.

How are all of your summer adventures going so far?