li10up- I'm on medical leave right now,but since I've ridden a lot in the past few years, I thought I'd put in my 2 cents.

You mention that if you make a game out of your training it would be more fun. I can certainly relate to that. Yes, doing intervals between telephone poles, even if you just do one each ride will help you. The point is to get your heart rate up as well as your endurance. Going faster requires both.

Intervals are an excellent way to push yourself. I often do them on my solo rides when I'm thoroughly warmed up which means after about 20-30 minutes. I will do a couple of intervals, and yes, between telephone poles on the way home. I also will see how fast I can go down the last stretch of street before I turn the corner to go into my driveway( about 3/4mile). I make note of these instances in my ride report which I post on www.bikejournal.com a free site for posting rides with lots of good info as well.

I also do hills. I found that if I do hard hills on my solo rides it increases my endurance and speed when I'm riding with my club. I'm one of the oldest riders in the group so whenever I can pass someone who is younger than me on the hills I'm pretty pleased.

I know you said something about hating stationary bikes. However, I will say that spinning class is a fast way to get in shape for road riding. Since you're working at your own pace, you don't have to worry about keeping up with the group. And, you'll find that after a few classes you'll notice a big improvement in your endurance as well as your ability to spin faster on your road rides. The instructors I have make it fun as well as challenging.

Since you mention you want to do a century ride this year, I would suggest that you set a goal for how long you want the ride to take. That way you can begin to see what kind of training you need to do to accomplish this goal.

Hope this helps.