first - welcome to the board! I know I was out for a few weeks so if you've already done this sry for the re-peat:

there's a thread under the open titled "getting to know you" - gives you a chance to get to know us better and tell us more about you!

as for your commute home - I also commute up a mountain every night 6 miles, some days in 30+ mph headwinds. My first thought when you talked about the struggle was: do you eat anything before you head home? I found I was wearing myself out during my commute home until I started eating just a little something about 20 mins before I left work. Also, do you drink during the climb?? even if you aren't hot - I make myself drink about every 10 minutes during that climb just to make sure I stay hydrated.