I was a bit behind in my training plan, which means that this was my first time running a full 5k. If I'd been totally on track, I'd've already run that distance a couple of times. But! I'm kind of glad I hadn't! This was a much more climactic way to reach one of my milestones.
I'd been wondering if running a race would really be worth all the hassle, and it really was. It was totally different running with a whole crowd of people and with spectators and cheerers and not having to worry about cars!
Plus, I feel wicked awesome. I totally ran 5k!!
[Edited to add: My official time is 37:48, for a 12:10/mile -- faster than my typical training run by about :20/mile. AWESOME!]