I've looked into all of the above!
I'm thinking about AMA enduro racing and hare scrambles but for next year I'm doing dualsport rides, no woods racing. I might try the hangover hare scramble on January 7 and I'd either ride women's amateur or Lites C. I'm not even sure I'll ever feel like actually racing. I am less interested in going fast and more interested in going fast relative to difficult terrain, if that makes sense. Wide open throttle in a straight line is whatever, but when I get a good flow and rhythm on the trail and my timing is good for all the obstacles, that's what gets me. Judging by the speed of the quicker riders doing the dualsport ride a couple weeks ago, I am NOWHERE near racing speed.
I've got my eye on the X trainer precisely because it's small, lightweight, detuned, and built for slow and technical riding. People complain about the front end being a little mushy but I weigh 110lb in all of my gear so I don't foresee that being a problem.
I think the AMA dualsport rides are a great place to start because they're not races but you're welcome to ride it like a race if you choose - they also provide easy bypasses for any "inaccessible" sections. the hammer run was a fantastic intro to enduro/dualsport riding (and I'm not talking about dualsport riding as putting down a fire road every now and then).
I'll check out those links and video - thank you! I have found that the enduro/woods/dualsport group of riders tend to be a lot more group-minded and look out for fellow riders, rather than the flat track or road racing community. It could be my perception and individual experience and not really a rule in general, but I have really met some awesome and encouraging people through offroad riding. lap times are irrelevant - can you jump at 3' log? that's more the stuff I'm interested in
