Dawn Dais hated running. And it didn't like her much, either. Her fitness routine consisted of avoiding the stairs in her own house, because who really has the energy to climb stairs? It was with this exercise philosophy firmly in place that she set off to complete a marathon. The Nonrunner’s Marathon Guide for Women is a fun training manual for women who don't believe that running is their biological destiny but who dream of crossing the finish line nonetheless. It opens with a realistic training schedule and is chock-full of how-to's, quizzes, and funny observations, which Dais felt were lacking in the guides she had consulted. TheNonrunner’s Marathon Guide for Women also integrates entries from Dias' journal, sharing everything would-be marathoners need to know about the gear, the blisters, the early morning workouts, the late-night carb binges, and — most important of all — the amazing rewards. Anyone can do a marathon. This book just makes the experience a little more bearable and a lot more fun.
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A MUST READ! Jul 20, 2010 I'm 100 pounds overweight and trying to train for my first (and only) half-marathon (gotta love peer pressure). I am half way through my training and felt I needed a little more boost so I got this book. It was so timely. The things that Dawn was writing about were the exact same things I was totally experiencing (blisters, aches, fatigue, slow weight loss, incredulously increasing mileage). Her book is written in a way to crack you up. It's not for the super serious runner. The title defines perfectly the target audience for this book! The book throws in helpful information while cracking you up. One of the last pages in the book was an exert from her journal - I laughed aloud for 5 minutes with tears rolling down my cheeks. I could not stop cracking up. The book is an easy and quick read (I'm not really a reader but got through the book in only 2 days). If you're an experienced runner - skip this book . . . unless you are mentoring a novice runner than this would give you excellent perspective of what your trainee is going through. If you are new to running with a goal of half or whole marathon - put this in your amazon cart right now!
Motivating, Informative, and Comical Jun 29, 2010 I decided to purchase this item through a local bookstore, since Amazon had the shipping date for too far off, as I needed to start training ASAP. The author has a great narrative and sense of humor that makes me want to keep reading, and as if a friend is giving me the advice. I would highly recommend buying this book if you plan on actually doing a marathon or half marathon (what I am training for). The schedule and instructions are doable and helpful. I am not bored with this book. I am one of those people that absolutely HATE working out and LOATHE running. I get bored and end up running once and calling it quits. I decided to do a half marathon to prove myself wrong, and reading this book gives that little extra push I need to get off my butt. Yes, running is still boring, but the book motivates me to continue on. I have consulted people that have done previous marathons, and they agree that this book is cute and helpful.
Funny book Jun 22, 2010 I purchased this book as I am training for my first marathon. Even though the book did not provide anything I didn't already know I found it to be a good read. The book was funny and it really gave you an inside look into what non-runners may go through in the process of training and running a marathon. If you are looking for a quick funny read I would recommend this to you; however, if you are looking for inspiration to run a marathon you are better off purchasing something else.
Makes me want to get out and run! Mar 03, 2010 Another reviewer said this book was too full of whingeing to be motivational (paraphrased) but I've found exactly the opposite. Dawn's honest and frankly unbelievable journey, as well as her sardonic and humorous style conveying it, makes for an interesting and motivating read. You definitely get the key message loud and clear: if SHE can run a marathon, ANYONE can! (Sorry Dawn!)
I find reading a few pages of this in the morning makes me want to get out there and run, although she does talk less about the actual *running* part (somehow she magically transforms from a complete beginner to talking about a 16 mile run - for anyone with limited experience I can imagine this is a wee bit intimidating).
I would definitely advise getting a couple of other 'professional coach' style running books and ideally joining a local training group/course rather than following Dawn's book alone - but it's a great and much-needed lighter companion to what can be fairly dour and dense articles on the actual process.
If, like me, you struggle a bit with motivation (especially before the sun rises on a rainy day), I recommend this book. Dawn also writes frankly about her personal motivation for the marathon, which has made me realise I need to find my own reasons for running one as well, and strengthen my convictions around them so I have no excuses!
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
NEVER EVER advocate self-diagnosis!! Mar 02, 2010 This book was definitely funny and an easy read. Motivating, though? Not so much. After the 47th time hearing about her horrible, aching kneecaps and how much pain it was and how horrible training was and how much she hated it... Well, I wasn't so interested in a marathon (which should be the entire basis of the book, to motivate you to run a marathon!). It's a very good thing I was well on my way with my half marathon training when I read this book, otherwise I would've scrapped the whole thing altogether!
There were _several_ points that made me laugh out loud, and a couple pages I marked because they were worth rereading! But the thing that really disappointed me was that she actually advocated looking up your symptoms/aches/pains/injuries on the internet and self-diagnosing/treating!! Now, I know we ALL do it, but I just found it completely irresponsible of her and her publisher to actually TELL you to do that, where they should have been saying "SAVE YOURSELF A POTENTIALLY GREATER INJURY: GO TO A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL!!!" The act of publishing the book immediately made her somewhat of an "expert" and NO expert should EVER suggest just looking it up on the internet!
With that said, it was worth my reading as an already established runner. It was an enjoyable (for the most part) read, but definitely not something I would actually recommend to new runners or those that don't already have a solid support-group of other experienced runners around them that are willing to help motivate.
based on 81 reviews
A MUST READ! Jul 20, 2010
Funny book Jun 22, 2010
NEVER EVER advocate self-diagnosis!! Mar 02, 2010
