I'm with you there Deacon. I grew up on a hundred acres rolling around on trails on single speeds. Got that out of my system in my youth. Now I'm a Cannonball Run/Vanishing Point type of rider. Petal to the metal, eating up miles. Stop, refuel, then take back off speeding for somewhere on the distant horizon. Too bad my engine can't live up to my mindset. Now in an automobile, the mindset varies. I also like screaming down a dirt/gravel/logging road acting like I am a Rally driver in a Lancia Stratos or other Rally Car. Or maybe screaming across the desert in the Dakar Rally in one of those ultra cool big trucks!

I am a runner also. I like varied terrain, twists and turns, ups and downs, dirt roads, gravel etc. But, I just don't care for running on single track trails. I've run every distance up to Marathon and this is by far the best/most fun event I participated in. A Tough Mudder without the mud. I did the one in Chicago until it was dropped last year. Unfortunately, Men's Health has replaced it with the Rugged Maniac series.

http://www.menshealthurbanathlon.com/about.html

As far as Cyclocross, it looks like it could be fun, but you get muddy. I got tired of the dirt and mud on the farm/ranch I grew up on. I might give it a shot some day, but I doubt it.