Thanks for all the replies!

The advice... and sympathy is appreciated!

Yea, I don't go hard all the time. But, I wonder if I have enough variation in my riding schedule. Now that it has warmed up, I can add some other rides to my training, that will allow for nice and easy.

I don't have a heart rate monitor, but wonder if it's something I should invest in. I have tried to resist it... just because I want to have fun (yea, it's fun being dropped! ) and I didn't to be too anal retentive (Type-A personality!) about training. It might help though.

I will say this too... I have NEVER been a sprinter. When I was a competitive swimmer in H.S., I did distance. My body is good with endurance, not with sprinting. Then again, my body is good with SLOW endurance... HA! I could swim a solid 400 and place 2nd... 3rd... etc... but I was never beating everyone's butts. So, maybe I just don't have those fast twitch muscles. Now, I just wish my endurance muscles would push past a 17 mph average!

OK... feel free to keep the advice... and sympathy coming!