You were smart to back off today. I know what you're saying about racers though. I'm not one of them and can usually stick to a plan but every now and then it is good to be made to ride outside of one's comfort zone. I'll call today my interval ride for the week. I certainly got in several good climbing efforts of 10 min or more and a few good hard pulls too. I do have to remind myself that I'm still in a base phase though. I've really been working on upping the cadence lately and it is starting to show.