I just started commuting a few months ago. My commute is only 18 miles, which is 3 more that I thought it would be. It takes me about 1:00-1:15 hrs to do. Right now I commute at least twice a week and usually never two days in a row. In the beginning I was going to do a drive in half way approach but decided I would do the whole 18 miles and ride less days per week. I don't think I will get to the point of riding everyday unless I have a shorter commute or shorter work shift. Right now I work 10hr shifts and usually don't get out right away. Commuting added about 1.5 hours to my work day. With a 2 year old daughter in the house I like to spend as much time with the family as possible. So time management is crucial to the success of your commute. As far as heart rate, as someone mentioned above, 80% of max is good. In the beginning, since you mentioned your not in the best shape I'd start lower. I am 37 (initially at 227lbs), so initially not in the best shape either. I keep my rate under 155bpm while cruising and in a few spots it will hit 170bpm for short periods. I notice if I exceed that I am pretty beat up at work. So try and keep it at a comfortable rate so you don't bonk or affect your performance at work. I keep track of the calories burned (from heart rate monitor) as a reference for food intake and how well I am performing. When I started the commute I would burn around 2400 cal. Yesterday I burned 1850. I roll out of bed 45 minutes before the ride and usually eat something very lite before the ride. I made the mistake of eating to much and it made the ride in tough. I usually eat something like a banana or granola bar. I pack my breakfast and eat it after I arrive. Which is usually a glass of milk and PBJ sandwich. For fluids I have a Camelback with 2L of water. In the 100 degree temps right now I throw some ice in it to help cool me down. I work nights so I ride in to work during the hot afternoons with ice water and the ride home in the cool mornings with room temp water. Lately I consume about 1.5 liters round trip. So if you had a 2L you should be fine unless your in the southwest like me. As far as the night before, I don't really drink or eat anything special. I would however discourage drinking alcohol the night before. Last week I had a drinky-drink before bed, nothing serious, just a slight buzz going on, and I could tell a difference in my ride performance the next day. Since I have started commuting I have noticed the liqueur consumption has decreased to almost nothing. Working nights sometimes I need a little assistance to fall asleep. With commuting I have no trouble getting to sleep. As far as speed, in the beginning do what is comfortable. I read somewhere that a good cadence is around 80-90. I notice I fall in around 78-85 most of the time. With that cadence my average speed is around 17mph. I have some hills and long traffic lights that slow me down. Since I started I have shortened the time it takes to ride by 15 minutes. I still give my self the same amount of time to get to work just in case of mechanical problems and wind. One night I had several mechanical issues, nothing major but it chewed up 20 minutes and I didn't have much time for a shower at work. I had a flat one night and it took me a bit longer to change the tube out than I had expected. When I got the bike new, I timed my self changing tubes twice at home but for some reason it took twice as long on the side of the road. So again planning and time management is very important to a successful commute. The company I work for is pretty commute friendly and I do not want to disappoint them with being late or tired at work. I have noticed that I am more on time when I commute than when I do not. Kinda odd? Good luck to you and all the other newbies out there. There is a lot of useful info here a BF.net forums. Do some searches on tires, lights, clothing, tools, etc. The more prepared you are the more successful you will be commuting. I love it. I only wish I worked 8hr shifts so I have more time home. One last thing, be safe. It is shocking how many close calls I have had in this short period and I live in a "gold" bicycling community. GD