Definitely do it!  Many, many people walk/run, and who knows, you might just surprise yourself.  I went into my first 5K before I finished the C25K and my goal was to run at least half of it.  I ended up running the whole thing at a nice, comfortable pace.  The trick is to start in the back of the pack so that you're not tempted to go out fast (you won't realize how fast you're going so starting in the back is important to keep from burning out).  Then just take in the atmosphere, keep it fun and even if you end up walking at times make sure you give yourself that little push at the end to run across the finish line.  You'll be glad you did.  And just remember, no matter what, you'll have a PR and from there you'll always have a time to work from.  Enjoy!!!

Definitely!!  Just start towards the back, run as long as you can and walk when needed.  Most of all ENJOY!

Of course you can walk part of it.  People sign up to do whole marathons as walkers.  If you are trying to run it the whole way, my advice would be to shorten your stride to the point you are almost bouncing in place.  It will really conserve energy.

You should worry about pace if you enter a race that has a time limit.  You want to make sure you can finish in the alloted time. 

I've run a lot of 5K's and unless the race field is very small, there are almost always a fair number of slow joggers and walkers. Check your race's website for the previous year's results and that should give you a good idea of what to expect.

Here's an example of a fairly typical 5K that I ran in July.

http://www.kathyloperevents.com/results/Bolt%20to%20Q%20Results.htm

There were 2120 runners total. If you're doing 17 min miles, that would be about 52:40 for the 5K. At this race, 1873 runners would have finished ahead of you, and 247 behind you. You definitely wouldn't be last and you wouldn't be alone.

@Twinks...No need to be embarrassed about a slower run. I'm not the fastest so I always tell myself, "I may not be fast but I'm lapping everyone on the couch!" I am a new runner as well and have done small and large races. No matter the size, there have always been walkers. In fact, my mom was inspired by my new-found running glory that she started running/walking herself. I kept inviting her to races and she'd say, "I'd never make it, I can't run!" She was extremely surprised when I told her there are many walkers - some who even walk the whole thing.

I was really nervous for my first race but as soon as it was over, I was signing up for more! I've done one race every weekend since then, but 1! Now I'm contemplating running a half - I need to take after you and write a "Nervous!!!" post because I am beyond that! I am sure you can sympathize

Hi

Just before I ran my first 5k (I am an old hand now, having run 2 and signed up for a third) a friend found this quote and sent it to me since I was worried I was too slow and might come in last. By the way, I didn't come in last, I came 410 out of a field of 750 and averaged a little faster than when I was doing th C25k, just under 15min/mile.

The quote;

Dead last finish is greater than did not finish which trumps did not start!

Good Luck and enjoy