When I was 18 years old, I tried to make an annual tradition out of racing my mountain bike 100 miles in one day every summer. I loved the motivation my training gave me to keep working toward something when school was out of session, and I've never felt more accomplished than the first time I crossed the finish line at one of these events.
Back when I started this tradition, I had ample time to load up my afternoons and weekends with more than 200 miles of riding per week. Unfortunately, since I've started adulting, meeting this goal has become largely impossible via my original means. Normally, I would dedicate these first few months of the year to building my initial base miles, but it's just too cold and dark when my workday ends for me to feel comfortable exercising outside regularly.
