I was thinking about some of the things WonderMonkey was saying.
It boils down to accepting the reality that I have been slacking (56 miles/week average for year)... So I'm not ready to start training. When I was lifting, the guiding thought was something like: doesn't matter where you are, just that you're going in the right direction.

So I am accepting that I'm working to get ready to start prepping to train for that damned hill, which in itself is preparation to train for an actual attempt to complete the springs 200k within the allotted time.

All is good. Anything I do is both great for my health and will make my commute less a workout and more a joy ride.