Hi from Virginia

Welcome Jennifer (I'm assuming your ID reflects your name). 

I'm big on attitude.  What's the old adage?  Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right.  If your mind is locked onto "I will" you'll probably experience some setbacks, but nothing that completely blocks your path forward.  I was talking to someone about my IMCdA race in 2009 (you can find the report from my log/profile I think).  If you start a race looking for reasons to quit, you'll find hundreds of opportunities (the water's too cold, the water's too hot...bike troubles...).  If you start a race looking to finish, the water is never too cold, never too hot, bike troubles may delay you...

Another big attitude thing for me:   Acknowledge that you HAVE GOALS!  A goal is really some vision of a future state that requires change...NOW...to accomplish.  You may claim that your goal for a triathlon (or 5K) is simply "to finish" but that's almost always not truly your goal.  Your "real goal" is to finish in some specific time.  Set some BHAG (Big, Hairy-A* Goal).  Why?  There will be a difference in your attitude during training that will also impact your race.  If you pretend your goal is "just finish" (a 5K), when you get tired and your legs start burning, you'll slow down or stop running in your training run because...I can always walk a little during the race to finish...If your (BHAG) goal is to finish the 5K in <30 minutes, then you have to run <10 minute miles and you're more likely to keep running during your training even though your tired and your legs burn.  Why are we predisposed to not acknowledge these types of goals?  Failure...we *might not* hit them (and to be truly a goal, there should be a not insignificant risk of not hitting them).  Non-triathlon...if you're 25 and starting your career, saying "I want to be a millionaire by the time I'm 40" is a lot more risky than being 39 and looking at your bank statement with $950K and making that same statement.  The key (IMO) is to put your goals in perspective.  If you miss your BHAG goal of running a 5K in <30 minutes...what happens?  Do you lose your house?  Does your spouse divorce you?  (Probably not, unless you act like a real jerk for not hitting it.)  You simply missed hitting your goal.  You can take another stab at it.  You might also decide that other goals are more important and you let that one go incomplete.