There was a training regime from middle distance running (1500m), devised in New Zealand, which involved running a marathon every day. The idea was that once you became hardened and conditioned to this effort, then pushing yourself over shorter distances would be easier.
If you do decide to ride it and buy a new bike, I would suggest one with the clearance and fittings for fenders and possibly a rack, or at least a large saddlebag. You also need components with extreme durability. In the UK there are some high performance, winter training bikes made from carbon fibre.