Janelle,
Snelling is an excellent course for a first road race, and good job to you for jumping in. Some bad news before the good:
1) it'll get faster as the season progresses.
2) Snelling is considered a very flat course in NorCal, so if you have problems staying with the other ladies on this terrain, you're not gonn'a gave a good time at most of the good races in our region.
The good news is it sounds like you're fit, and you started racing in the early season, so there's plenty of time to do power work.
If this were a bet, I'd put my money on you not drinking enough and not eating enough (ask me how I know
). Another thing is to ask your coach or mentor to watch you on a typical training ride--chances are, you are not riding as efficiently as you should. So I would focus on the mental aspects first. But of course, you should talk to your mentor about starting some work on power when he/she feels you're ready (for most of us, that's March or mid-February). You'll get pretty trashed, but they'll get you laying down some work in the least amount of time, which is what those small humps at Snelling are all about. You should try to do Maclane this coming weekend if possible. Good luck!
Phong