Running 1:06:53 [4] 8.68 mi (7:42 / mi) +46m 7:35 / mi
Bummer! I totally mistook the start time for this race and we arrived and tried to pick up registration packets 30 min after it had started!!!!
Honestly, I pretty much started to cry. Which sounds silly and whatever, but I like racing and I don't like making mistakes and so on 2 accounts things were going badly.
The race organizer said it was fine if I went out, just the aid stations might be disappearing and to not wear my number. So after a walk to the car, putting on my orienteering shoes with metal studs (oh yeah, it had been crazy thunderstorm/pouring since 5am - not your standard monsoon) I headed out for my own little time trial.
And glad I did. It was a true cross country course, with gullies being made at that moment as water did its work and several real single track sections (all after 2 miles, so people who started on time would have time to sort out), some with downed trees to scamper over. O-shoes were totally the right footwear (ok, maybe xc spikes would have done too), enjoyed having their grip.
Started passing people at 3.5 miles and continued doing so until the finish. Think I confused some, but I think I should have actually kept my number on, felt like a bandit and got a few stares when I didn't cross the finish line. I paid for it, so given I wasn't enormously late, should have just kept my number on. (Argument against is that the race organizer had no way of knowing I would have been fast enough to not keep the aid station workers out late, which it's true, I didn't pay for that service.)
Anyways, did have a great time out despite everything! Came back *covered* in mud, and a smile. =)