> 'clumsiness'



I find the clumsiness factor interesting. Do you attribute it to the 'brain fog' or does it seem like there's some other physical cause/effect?



>Having said that, I wonder if there wasn't some body "memory" so to  



I'm pretty sure there is a body memory. 



When I first started longer-distance riding a couple years ago the first few trips were 'hard' (not so much physically, but mentally draining - like "this is exhausting, how much further can I keep this up", and the like). Then, the soreness set in for a few days. This past spring, even with a 5 month layoff, I was able to hop on my bike and ride 20-30 miles without even really thinking about it and practically zero soreness.



I'm pretty certain I've noticed the same effect in the past with regards to diet. I, too, occasionally "splurge" like you did, and it may go on for a (too long) period of time. It usually happens around the holidays, and I have to admit being "bad" a lot during the summer with all of the festivals I like to attend. Then, when I return to "proper" eating, I seem to adjust back pretty rapidly (compared with several years ago).