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Another reviewer said this book was too full of whingeing to be motivational (paraphrased) but I've found exactly the opposite. (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). 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. 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.
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. There were _several_ points that made me laugh out loud, and a couple pages I marked because they were worth rereading.
Motivating, though. Not so much.
This book was definitely funny and an easy read. 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.
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).
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. 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.
this book prepared me for the unexpected insecurities of running a marathon with the bonus of lots of laughter
I found this book to be informative while humorous. I am not an avid reader, with that being said, when I purchase a book I want it to capture my attention. I can really relate to what she is writing. Especially a book about training for running a marathon. Most books on this subject looked to be boring- not this one. If you are looking for a bunch of technical terms and want to learn the science of your body and how to be a better runner, this book may not be for you. But if you are the ordinary person that thinks you are crazy enough to want to train for a marathon, but want to have fun doing it, then this is the book for you.
If you're looking for someone to complain with about running and training then this is a good book, otherwise I do not recommend it. I was excited to read this book but was disappointed when most of the book is about complaining. It was NOT motivational and as a beginner runner I was not eager to keep training. It will leave you deflated and uninspired.
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