Marathon training takes over your life? That's just called being a runner. Prioritizing tasks? Ha! You do what you gotta do. I sacrifice social life, no question. People can wait, but my training can't. I get up at 5am, get my run in, and then tackle the day. If you're not willing to make sacrifices, you're not serious about your training.
For a complete beginner, just finishing is a win. Don't worry about the time, focus on getting to the start line healthy and having fun. If you're feeling ambitious, aim for a sub-35 minute finish, but honestly, who cares? You'll be lapping everyone on the couch.
Yeah, silver's still a damn good effort, no shame in that.
What the hell is this doing on a running forum? Get your priorities straight, people. We're here to talk about sweat, pain, and PBs, not some BBC documentary about Linford's junk.