Y'all are so sweet - I just love this thread! Thank you for the encouragement...I thought a lot about JG's three rules for running. I did manage to do two [finish and finish upright] but that third one - be excited to run another race? Right now, I'm not sure about that one!
With me being kinda congested today and the weather becoming more humid, even more than yesterday, I had a really difficult time breathing. I started out running/walking one minute intervals but never felt as if I could recover well enough to start running again. So, after a mile and a half, I just started walking and my breathing got much better.
My goal for this was to finish in less than 50 minutes - my time was 51:12 for 3.26 miles [hey, gotta get credit for that extra .16 mile, right?] I felt as if I had been on that race for an hour and 51 minutes so was pleasantly surprised at my time. I also found out that my first mile was my best at 15:00 minutes - I truly felt as if I was going so slowly. Strange how perception and reality can be so far apart.
Anyway, it was great race, benefiting children with autism - lots of families were there. I kept trying to pass the two women who were just chatting away, as if they were on a stroll in the park. I think I managed that much. But the stroller people zoomed past me, along with the three ladies who told me, 'wow, we just signed up today and have never jogged before.'

Oh well...maybe I can beat them next year!
I guess the thing that bothered me most was that I wasn't that comfortable running...it really tired me out and I've been working on this distance for several weeks now. I had to default to walking to get 'back in the game.'
Lastly, I did experiment with my eating and it worked! I had a bagel with peanut butter and banana around 3:00. The race started at 7 and, while my knees were really upset with me, my tummy was not. And I wasn't even hungry. I think I'll do this same thing for the EEC.
Thank you again everyone for your support. I can't wait to meet y'all! Three weeks!