once you start racing, how often can you race? i find the list of local races on coolrunning waaaay too tempting. 5k doesn't seem like a long race though, so maybe people do them more often? is once a month too much?

My piece of advice on training routines post C2K and leading up to your race is this: change up your routes. Don't stick to the same route all the time. The mapping tool here on RA is awesome for figuring out specifics on a run like distance. Running different routes and not running the same one back to back was really freeing for me. I didn't have the mental bookmarks, like "last time I got to that turnaround at this many minutes". In training you want to just run and not worry about beating your last run as Wingz pointed out. Different routes let me just enjoy the run. Besides, come race day, you will be on a new course.