Thanks for all the positive posts everyone! I did another 16 mile ride, then followed up with 21 miles. Tomorrow, I'll be going back to the park and shooting for 30. My last ride, I ended up meeting this group of cyclists who let me tag along with them and they WORKED ME HARD! I did 14 miles with them and cruised at a steady 20 MPH the whole time (according to their computers). The other 7 miles, I probably averaged 15-16 MPH.

For the record, yes I am a newbie and I ride in a park that is nothing more than a 7 mile loop. It's hard to really go anywhere else because of all the traffic and narrow roads in my neck of the woods. Not to mention, most of the residents are retiree's (AKA "snowbirds") and I've witnessed one of them hit a man on his bike...

I don't really know much about freehub/cassette systems or bike mechanics in general. But, I have a lot of time to learn so I'm stoked. I'll let you know how my 30 miles goes tomorrow :]]

EDIT: about the bike saddle...I'm going to suck it up and get used to the pain. But, I'm going to buy a pair of gloves for my hands. I noticed my pinky finger went numb after a while.