Originally Posted by
gorshkov
...I teach high school, so the amount of time I have to train will dramatically decrease come August, and if anyone here has any suggestions for using short rides to train for very long rides, I would appreciate it.
On the time factor, commuting can be a good solution if it works for you. Presumably, you can clean up and store your gear at the school. In addition to time, you can save a little extra cash for bike stuff.
+1 the people saying speed is good distance training. My training miles were fewer but faster this year, and brevets were faster and easier as a result.