Well said Justin.
My venture on my Savage started very similar.
You have to ride your ride. Practice should be fun, exciting, passionate and ready for adventure.
I set out for the first month daily with learning one skill set really well and doing all the other I was taught best I could.
Just getting out of town was 4 miles of lights and stop signs. Then the back-roads for as long as I wanted 2 lanes 45mph with long stretches of straight aways. (always mindful of dear and tractors that may jump or pull out). Alway full of nerves by the time I got out of town, but then it was fun enjoying practice.
Yeah I was slow going down the steep long twisties, so what. Pull over if the car behind is getting antsy. Your ride will be better without that pressure.
First time out on the super-slab I only made it 4 or 5 exits myself.
Since I've been riding pretty much daily for a year in all weather conditions here in Oregon (Rain, lots of Rain) My skills have grown and I'm learning how to work on the bike more and more.
This is a great forum to come and share your stories, concerns, bike issues, buy custom made parts, sell parts, mod your bike, and really learn how surprisingly wonderful the savage (s40) machine is.