Very quickly since 'restoring' my road bike earlier this year my riding style has changed from recreational to commuting, 4,5 miles one way, with the occasional trip on the side, once every month on average. The trips were just to enjoy being on the bike, never more than 30 miles.
I started at first taking a main road that was 4-lane, no bike lane, no shoulder, 40mph limit. It quickly scared the hell out of me, so I found a new route that takes a little longer but is far less dangerous, plus more than half of it has a bike lane. Riding to/from work has pretty much trained me to ride efficiently, and has put me in the mood to take more serious trips once in a while.