My first SPRINT....

Congrats!!  You'll always remember your first.

Now take some of the lessons learned and apply it to your training and come back even better and stronger for the next one!

Great job in coming close to your goal.

Good job and keep on racing.

Congratulations!!

Which race did you participate in?

Awesome! Great job!
So when is the next one??

Congratulations!  I just did my first sprint tri on Sunday too in Ohio.  I love it and came in under my goal as well.

Just IMO, but a 1/2 mary in 5 weeks sounds like a stretch given the difficulty you had finishing 4.4...maybe consider a 10k first?

My long runs have been about 7.5 miles.. So if I increase my long runs each week by a mile or so I should be close..  I have run 10K's before without a ton of trouble...But the 13.1 will be a big challange...  Goals,,??? just dont want to walk and would like to come in under 10 min miles...

Given all that, go for it! 

Congrats on your first and here's to your next.  Not sure if I'm addicted, but I've done two triathlons, signed up for a third and I've run two 5K's this summer.  It not being easy is one thing that draws me to it I think.  

Um, your sounding addicted...

Word of advice:   Don't sweat it if you have to walk *a little*

My first half-mary, I was well-prepared.  It was my first organized race in over 25 years.   I was nervous the night before and couldn't eat anything.  I had a bagel and something else the morning of.

At mile six in the race, I was cruising along at just over my desired pace.  There was a choke point at the top of a little hill (just entering the racetrack. This was the Indy 500 mini-marathon) and I was forced by "the mob" to stop for just a second.  I was so nervous about the race, and so mentally unprepared for what I would do if I stopped..... that I just crumbled, mentally and physically.  I ended up walk-running the rest of the race and finishing almost an hour after my goal.  It was extremely hard for me to deal with emotionally.  It sucked!

Fast-forward a year, with a couple of smaller races under my belt as well, and I finished the damn thing in 2:05 with a potty-stop!  

Prepare mentally and physically for the run, and you'll be fine.   Walk the water-stops if you have to.   Make sure you have a plan for what you'll do if your goals start slipping away (due to things you can control, or things you can't!)

but most of all..... ENJOY!

good luck.

Ryan

Great job man! Happy to hear it!