balancing two sports

I'm no trainer, but cross training doesnt usually hurt. Anything that builds endurance will be good for Mountain biking. I personally surf as much as possible and offroad bike when I'm not surfing. Together they both compliment each other and I stay in shape.

timothycaprio said:

hey, i am about to go back to college where i am going to start running for my schools cross country team. I have been trying to get into mountain biking for this summer and have gotten alot better at it. I was jsut wondering if running would be a good cross trainer in order to help with balancing the mountain biking im getting into. i also want to do some time on the bike as well. anyone have suggestions on how often and what is a good amount i should be riding?

thanks, tim

My experience is that running helps your bike riding but not the other way round. As for what is a good amount you should be riding, well that depends on what you are trying to achieve and how much time you have available. High intensity targeted training is probably more important than long hours in the saddle.

nearly all sports benefit from running.
look at olympic swimmers. they do some running in training but you don't hear of too many sprinters or marathon runners including swimming as part of their training.
same goes for many sports.
i've found running has improved my fitness level for mtbiking.

A lot of the Cat1, 2 racers I knew would jump start there season in the cold weather by running instead of biking. When it warmed up enough-theyd have cardiovascular fitness as soon as they got on the bike.

On the flip side my neighbors whos training for a marathon has been told he should ride to develop different muscles that will aid him in his running.

You could see if theyve got cyclocross by you-thats both a little road riding, offfroad and running.