Bici Rodeo Cross, September, and BMO Okanagan 10k

Apologies for slacking on the blogging side, but I've been sick ever since Blitz Duathlon and not doing much with regards to racing / training in the past month.
Here are some notables.

Bici Rodeo Cross

First cyclocross race of the year. A week after Blitz, and was just starting to feel a cough coming on. I had done a decent amount of skills training but very little high intensity training. Ouch!
It was very cold and windy out in the Airdrie Rodeo grounds. I managed to get in two full laps of warmup, but the last one cost me a decent starting position - which pretty much seals your fate in a cross race. I was probably ~20th in the hole shot.
I felt pretty good in the first 2 laps, passing or catching guys on the straights, and mostly holding my own on the technical parts. I did slip up a few times, especially as I fatigued, and ended the race in virtually the same position as I started (not uncommon).

September Stats:

• Bike: 21 rides, 950 kms, 35 hours, 8,500m elevation
• Run: 16 runs, 113 kms, 9.5 hours

After this, my cold/cough thing got a bit worse. I went to see a Dr who told me I had a throat infection, and prescribed some antibiotics. With over a week to go before BMO, I figured I'd be well just in time to get in a couple hard runs before the race and still do well.
Unfortunately, the antibiotics did nothing.
I managed one hard run on the preceeding Friday, with a single kilometer at race pace (sub-4 min/km), and was hacking and coughing for a minutes afterwards.
Did a light run in Revelstoke on the way to Kelowna on Saturday, and didn't feel great there either.

BMO Okanagan 10k Run

So the stretch goal was sub 40 minutes, requiring a sub 4 min/km pace for 10k, obviously. I say stretch because I've never even done 5kms at that pace.
That said, I felt I could do it with the reduced elevation (>600m lower than Calgary, which according to runworks, could equate to about 11s improvement).
I line up next to Melissa and a bunch of school kids who are talking about running 3:30's. Yikes.
My plan was to go fast with the lead group, for about 3km, then pull it back for a km, 3 fast, 1 slow, last fast.
Went out hard as planned. Looked at my watch and it said 4:30's...wtf?! Turn a corner, now it says 3:30. Great...
1 km split goes by, 3:50. I'm feeling pretty good. -10s.
Next km goes by. Little bit slower but still sub 4. Overall, -12s. Still feeling good.
Km 3, lose a few seconds, back down to -10s. Now I'm starting to hack.
I hear a familiar voice behind me. Turn and see Melissa has caught up to me.
Km 4, lose a couple more. -6s. Melissa runs in front of me. Wow she's running strong!
Km 5. I'm fading. Tempted to try to break the 20 min marker, but decide to ease a little and hope to recover. +4s.
The turnaround takes a lot of me. I struggle to get back to speed, and am losing contact with Melissa and another guy I'd been running with.
The next 3 kms are torture, and I lose 56s, and several placements.
In the final 2km I am caught by another guy, and we run stride for stride at around 4:10's until the final 400m, where he accelerates and I'm left with nothing.

Official finish time: 41:50. Not quite personal best, I got 41:30 last year in the Underwear Affair!
Not too disappointed considering the state I went into it, but was hoping for better.

(Melissa on the other hand, killed it! Won the overall women category, time of 40:27!)