hardly. if i make it sound casual it's because the pace and the company is casual. if it's any consolation, this was the first longish ride i did out in the country on a fixed gear and i didn't think it was possible at the time but that turned out to be, as you say, entirely phsychological and it ended up being a great ride. i also wasn't using a bike computer at the time so that helped my not think of the distance.