First trail race - fail!

I think you just got a nice wake-up on how tough trail running can be. Think I know what race you did and almost did the 5 mile version myself, decided I had enough other races going on and didn't want to burn out. I haven't done the specific route of the race, but have been right in that area on the bike path that goes through it. The advertisements for this rate really undersold how difficult (awesome) the course could be. On the paved bike path sections the hills are fairly short, but they're also quite steep. I need a rather strong burst to get up and over them. I would expect at least as difficult on the non-paved sections where I'm not sure bikes are even allowed.

Trail shoes can help with things, but I think it's more in being prepared for the running than just looking at a simple shoe fix. You need to be ready for a wide variety of paces. And to be able to change pace quite quickly. Also for changes in steps. It's not a constant motion that you find on smoother roads or even limestone paths as there are many small obstacles to maneuver around. Your mental awareness needs to be much higher and more alert because of this and it can be tough to do, potentially making things much less enjoyable if you weren't expecting it or don't have any experience with it. Pacing has to be very in tune with effort as opposed to using mile pacing to get you through. I saw everywhere from 5 min to 13 min per mile on a recent one and the slower paces were much higher effort!

Definitely dust yourself off and get back out there. Do some races you are more familiar with. This race by no means you have not made any gains. Just a strong exposure to other demands that a race may call into play. You will do well with road races coming right up. With a little practice the trail race can go much better. I had a night and day difference between a spring 10k and fall 8 mile, both up in Wisconsin. I was expecting the spring to be hard though due to lack of run training over the winter and it sure was! I barely made 8 min miles and was beat. The second one I ran much better and was still feeling very strong at the end.

If interested in revenge, there is the Frozen Gnome 10k in January in the same spot. They'll run this with snowfall too. Just make sure you don't hit the 50k! Not yet at least.

Did you get eaten by a bear, mountain lion, or mosquitoes?  Those would be race failures...  

You went from running 8:45 miles on the road to 10:30 miles on the trail.  Not an unreasonable drop in speed IMO if you're navigating hiking trails and not a converted railroad bed.  I'd typically go from 9 min/mile to 11-12 min/mile when I did trail runs.  It's hard to run up a steep incline.  It's hard to run down a steep incline.  It's hard to run when the trail falls away sideways.  Throw in mud, rocks, roots, branches (yea...my first trail run every I smacked straight into a low hanging branch...) and some navigation and you'll find out trail running is vastly different than pounding out miles on the road.  

Trail shoes can make a big difference, but it all depends on the shoes and the trails.  My "trail shoes" are generally grey versions of road shoes (I haven't been running in highly technical trail shoes).  They have decent cushioning and a little more tread than road shoes.  At the same time, I've seen people do ultras wearing Vibram Five Fingers and other minimalist shoes.  Shoes that drain well can be beneficial if you run through water.  

Yea...if you're going to race on the trails, run on the trails.