Well you can't get faster w/o going faster, so I'm going to start doing some speed work/intervals during my training.

Anyone have a good website or book I can check out? something that really gets into the basics for a n00b?

thanks!

Well, you can start with Sally Edwards' book: "The Heart Rate Monitor". If you already have one and know how to use it, you can move on to her book she co-authored with Sally Reed called "The Heart Rate Monitor Book for Outdoor and Indoor Cyclists".

Those are pretty easy reads, and they will get you on the right path.

Koffee