My ambitious goal was 5:30, my middle goal was 6:00, and low-end was to finish, although I never really worried about finishing. If I remember correctly, my time was in the 6:20s, so I figure if I hadn't had my foot problems I would have just broken 6.

The biggest problem for me in long course races is proper pacing - I've learned the hard way in my other sport (XC ski racing) the perils of going out too hard in a long race and have heard countless times of the number of people that go too hard on a HIM or IM bike, only to have to endure gratuitous suffering on the run. As a result I probably overcompensate a bit and take a slower time in order to ensure I'll finish without bonking or burning out, even if I felt like my fitness would have supported a faster time.