Emily, in the 5Ks around here, there are usually LOTS of finishers in the 40- and 50-minute range. (And I'm not just talking about people in the older age groups either.)

+1 on running your own race. I haven't noticed anyone posting in this thread that's Olympic caliber! (And if I've missed someone, apologies!) But for "the rest of us," it's just for fun and fitness. In a local race, how I place is entirely dependent on who else shows up. And it really doesn't matter much to me.

Plus, there are lots of runners in this world who never enter a race. Lots of us on this board have fun with some friendly competition, but you're no less of a runner if that's not your cup of tea!