sounds like you're doing great, punkncat - just keep it up.

i'm not an expert by any means, and i'm training more for distance than speed, but i find sprints help for some reason. not sure why - i started doing sprints when i was running, and now i've been incorporating them into my long rides, at the beginning and also at the end.

good luck and don't get discouraged, sounds like you're on the right track.