North Stonington Classic: I'm in (?)

I've been directed to do the Pro-1-2-3 event at the North Stonington Classic this Sunday. I'm apprehensive, nervous, wringing my hands about it, yet still cautiously optimistic. Road races are not my thing, especially if they're over 50 miles and include a 1 km climb. Coach says it will do me good to give it my best shot AND complete it at tempo pace if/when I get shelled. "Finish what you start" ;)
So I will pass on the 35+, which is potentially just as fast, but half the distance. Voice in my head thunders that this is the wrong move, but I guess it's for a training benefit, more so than a result. I hope not to be an early casualty. Every ounce of my being will go into selecting a solid wheel and not letting go, especially on the climb. I do like the start time very much though: 2:00 pm. Means I can get a full 8-9 hours of sleep, which is rare.
I don't know what I'm so afraid of, my form isn't that horrible right now. I'd venture to say that I'm not that far from my condition at the Topsfield race last September, where I got 23rd in the P-1-2-3 event. (I know I keep bringing that up, but realize that was only the second road race I'd done since 1995, so it was huge for me to finish something other than a crit for a change, even if it required me to sit-in the whole time in order to survive) Yeah, I know, I don't do that great in crits either, but I enjoy them a whole lot more.