What is My Fitness Level?

As the first ICup race of the season approaches I have been asking this question over and over again.  What is my fitness level?  How am I going to do at the race?  Have I improved any?  Have I done enough that I feel like I made progress from last year to this year?  These and many other questions have been going through my mind.  As I have been calling friends and making plans for the upcoming trip to the race I have discovered I am not the only one with this question.  Apparently everyone else is wondering the same thing!
How nice it is to discover I am not the only one wondering where my fitness level is.  I guess we all have the same or similar questions as we head towards the first ICup race. 

So how do you determine your fitness level?  This is the question I am trying to answer.  For me I don't think it is going to be about winning the race.  Of course I would love to win, but realistically speaking I know I am not there yet.  Last time I was on a mountain bike was in November!  Since then it has been the trainer, and I have done my best on the trainer, but there is nothing that compares to the actual ride.  My weight--well, I am lighter, but still not even close to where I need to be.  So I go into this with not the expectation of winning, but of doing well.  Am I settling?  I don't think so, I think I am being realistic, but I am not counting myself out.

What is "doing well", as I contemplate this I think it is coming in where I came in last year or better.  I feel as if my heart is doing great, so I want to be where I was last year at this time or better.  Big dreams--well we all need to dream big.  Also, I do not want to take last, or 2nd to last.  To some this may not be a big deal, but really after all of the struggles from last year, watching everyone take off ahead of me was so frustrating and discouraging I need something different.  Yes, I get it my heart was healing and I couldn't go faster, but I want it to be be different this year.  With that said if I end up taking last or close to last I guarantee it will only motivate me more.

So how do you determine your fitness level?  What will you be satisfied, or will you be satisfied?