bbbean 

Kudos to you for going after it.

FWIW, I'm a 57 yr old man who's been training loosely since 2013, and seriously (ie with structured plans) for the past 3-4 years.

One concept I didn't really understand fully until the past year was that training is most effective when you're rested enough to hit the targets and do the full workout. Coming into a session exhausted and pushing through the pain sounds good, but in the long run, coming in rested does more good. There's a time for pushing through exhaustion, but that shouldn't be a very regular occurrence.
Also, recovery is highly individual and varies with age, nutrition, what kind of workouts you're doing, etc. For me personally, more than 3 hard (100+ TSS, threshhold or higher intervals) workouts in a week ends up trimming my gains, so I do 2 or 3 hard workouts, 2 or 3 base/sweet spot workouts, and at least 2 very easy or rest days each week.
I use Training Peaks to track my progress, but I haven't used their plans. What has worked for me with Trainer Road is to do a low volume training plan (3 workouts per week), and then flesh out the other days of the week with my own easier rides. You may be able to do something similar with the plan you're on. Dial down the volume a little so you can focus on the intensity on the days you are pushing.
Ultimately, listen to your body. In my experience, paying more attention to nutrition, rest, and sleep solve 90% of my problems on the bike. Kudos to you for joining the women's masters ranks. Hope to see you at a race sometime.