Marni, I am totally in agreement with you. It's not negativity; when I have been trying to "regain" fitness, I don't need the computer to tell me that I suck. I also don't need it to know when I am moving in the direction I want to go. While I have never taken the computer off, i simply don't look at my average when I am done, or I keep it on clock, so I don't see my rolling speed. I only look at total miles completed.
Three years ago i lost a huge amount of fitness/speed when i was sick. Every time I saw my average the next season, it was painful for me to accept. I still rode my usual number of miles, but it made me want to quit. Last year i changed my way of looking at it. Instead of trying to improve, I just rode. I did lots of farm stand and errand rides on my hybrid, about 300+ miles of my total. I really got into the winter sports I do. When this season started, I felt I got my mojo back. My speed still isn't quite what it was, but I really don't care anymore. I can still climb like I used to, I weigh the same as I did when I was 16 and I feel fit, and I enjoy riding, so I am happy.