OK, I know this will sound like bragging, but the main point of the post is to encourage anyone who is starting out and feeling like their commute simply takes too long. My story:

Started commuting about 18 months ago from the suburbs to Boston. It's about marathon distance roundtrip. When I started, it took me nearly an hour and a half door to door, and today I did it in 45:36. That is now faster than taking public transportation (50-70 minutes), and of course much faster than driving in rush hour.

What changed?
* switched from an upright "comfort" bike to a road bike (w/fender)
* lost 30#
* optimized my route to shave off about a half mile
* clipless pedals
* riding in work pants --> "real" biking clothes
* riding off-peak to avoid traffic
* got comfortable proceeding through intersections without cross traffic
* of course, flexibility and strength increased

maybe there were other factors, too. anyway, if at first the commute seems too long, over time there is a lot you can do to shorten it