You said it before I had the nerve to say it myself.

Frankly, if it were a guy, or myself, starting a thread asking the exact same question, there would be a lot more "HTFU" responses. Yeah, there would still be the encouraging posts (and I probably would've told a guy the same thing as I did earlier -- "Too many numbers. Pick a destination, not a distance."), but it would definitely be harsher than the thread is now.

And, OP, like it or not, coddling is what you're getting here. Don't let this rare occurrence color your perception of BikeForums, especially the Road section. We usually yell at each other.
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...to-yell-at-you.