I had a miserable first lap then embraced it and was enjoying it for most of the second and the third lap.
Which puddle are we talking about? There was one on a double track which would have made a respectable pond, a gnome with a fishing rod would have been a nice touch. you could just about avoid it, or there was a bit of singletrack which had turned into a stream which you definitely couldnt.
it was lashing down when I left home so I took the front wheel of my trail bike with a High Roller on and used it, the combination of loads of grip on the front and none at the back was fun some of the time. The High Roller wasnt so good in the quicksand though, more of a tunnelling device 🙂