I think Darcy's post is very accurate, at least for me. I know at the end of last year, I was disappointed in not "accomplishing" certain goals. I put so much stress on my speed and how many miles I put in that I was loosing the joy of what cycling was really about for me. This year, I am trying to achieve some of the goals I missed out on last year, but I am trying to approach it differently. Mentally, I want to enjoy as much as I can, my time in the saddle. Some days, I seem to have a lot of energy, some days I am a slug. Well, so be it. I am not a racer; I don't want to compare myself to anyone else. I am a good 13-15 mph rider. Sometimes it is higher, sometimes it is lower. I will not stress myself out over it. I also know, I have to reinforce these feelings within myself. We end up being our own worst enemies when we start comparing ourselves to others. I know that I have improved since last summer and that is what I like to remind myself.