Fantastic Realistic Hilariously Inspirational!
Perfect for any woman considering (or having committed to) the daunting task of moving your rear off the couch and on to the track! So funny, so honest, so motivational and realistic everyone who reads this book will finish it just as I did, totally inspired and ready to start the journey! I've already purchased my Water-Holder Butt Thingy and modeled it to the laughter of my family... Thanks Dawn for showing me I can actually do this!

A wonderful read and great for moral support
I picked up The (Non)Runner's Marathon Guide for Women last month after finishing Claire Kowalchik's book about running for women (you can read the review here). I wanted a running book with which I could better relate. I'm a super slow runner and didn't even make it onto any of the charts in Kowalchik's book, which was a little defeating for me. So when I read about Dais' book, which tracks her struggle through training for a marathon, while also giving great tips for people who have never really run before, or haven't run much at least.

I loved this book because I related so well with the things Dais talked about. She talked about feeling discouraged because every time she went out for a run she would end up right back where she started. She also describes her first trip to the running store where she learned about the importance of shoe fit, spandex and bodyglide (which I had never heard of until reading this book). She includes some great stretches, as well as a 20-week training schedule for both a marathon and a half marathon. She also leaves space for journaling, and for answering questions she poses, such as "Why are you running this marathon?" and "What was life like before you began training and after"?

An example before and after from her book:

Vitamins
Before: Do the rainbow of fruit flavors in Skittles count?
After: Pills the size of marshmallows washed down with one of my thirty-two gallons of water.

For me, the best part of this book were the personal journal entries from when Dais was training for her own marathon. Dais' perspective is so true to how I think most new runners feel that it's hard not to laugh out loud (I couldn't read this book in public because I kept snorting at her writing). Here's a sample:

"This weekend my little calendar o' runnin' said that I had to run sixteen miles. Is it me or is this number just getting ridiculous? Sixteen miles. What possible reason could one ever have for running sixteen miles? After about Mile 10, just call a cab and save yourself a lot of effort. Hell, call me. I'll give you a lift. Believe me, it's just not worth it. One fun fact about sixteen miles - that's about how far away hell is. I know you'd think it'd be farther away, at least as far as Fresno. But you'd be wrong. Actually, I think I hit hell around mile 14, so it's an even shorter trip."

If you're new to running, or even if you've been running a long time, I highly suggest picking up Dais' book because it'll remind you of what it was like when you started and why you run. It'll also remind you that you're not the only one who suffers for running. If you are training for a marathon though, I suggest picking up some other books as well. Dais' book is great for moral support, but I think there are some others out there that would add a little more technical support, unless of course you have your own personal trainer.

Running in spite of myself
I had not run a race in 10 years. This did not bother me at at all. Until about 6 months after I was diagnosed with a serious kidney condition and my doctor uttered the words " Well, you'll probably never run a marathon, but you can still exercise." A few days later I saw Dawn Dais's book The Non-Runner's Marathon Guide for Women in REI, and picked it up. As I started to flip through the pages I knew then that my little Asian doctor was going to be wrong, oh so very wrong.

Dawn Dais's book not only encouraged me to train and finish the 2008 San Diego Rock and Roll marathon, it also just plain made me laugh out loud every step of the way. Too many runners take themselves so seriously it intimidates all the rest of us flailing along the trail. If you love sarcasm and have a gift for laughing at yourself you will love this book. It makes even more sense if you've ever trained for a really long race as an adult, having never really done anything more strenuous than Spanish club in high school.

OK! I am on my way to 26.2 and it is all Dawn's fault
As usual I came up with a great idea... I will run a marathon! This latest idea was met with the usual roll of the eyes and "just letter have her little dream" attitude. I started looking for information on running and came across this book. I headed on down to the bookstore (because wild ideas and inpatients are some of my most charming qualities) and I couldn't wait to have it shipped. I had to have it NOW! I read it cover to cover and about 80% out loud to the whole family. We were all cracking up and it has motivated me to get off my A double snakes and really do this. Now... I have run in the past... but not the last 5 years so we will see how it goes but this book is a true inspiration and a joy to read... even if you're not going to try something insane like run for 26.2 miles. READ IT READ IT READ IT... Aloha and see you on December 14th at the finish line... Hopefully not on a stretcher!

Great inspiration, a bit overboard on the training...
Like many of the reviewers here, I loved reading the book. Dawn's writing style reminds me a bit of a cross between Erma Bombeck and Dave Barry with a healthy dose of Young Woman thrown in. My sister recommened this book to me because she was convinced that either I wrote it (though there is no way I'll run a marathon; I'll follow along on a bike if needed), or that the writer knows me because the attitude of the writer is similar (a rare complement from my sister, since I liked the book).

First, though, unless you are blessed to live within an urban/suburban area complete with running trails, parks, running clubs, stores with Shoe People that actually know what kind of shoe is needed for a suppinator versus an overpronator, several hours a week you can devote to running and not, oh, let's say, cleaning a house and work, a few friends who are already runners and a couple of coaches thrown in, then you can pretty much ignore all that advice (y'know, running trails, running stores/friends/coaches, etc), and just focus on the humor and inspiration that seems to permeate the book.

IMHO, much more than training schedules (for goodness sakes, I plan to train 4 months for a little bitty 5K, not a flippin' marathon, so I think that her training schedule was a little bit on the insane side), are Dawn's insights, observations, common sense advice (Advil and bags of peas, plus a great running bra), and sense of humor make this book readable and REAL. Running ain't pretty. It's sweat and your heart trying to pound it's way out of your chest, and GU (frankly, I preferred the mushed bananas) and sore body parts that haven't been used in decades and toned legs and the ability to eat carbs - though gee, think there's a hint there as to why she wasn't able to lose any weight?.

I love how she points out her own motivation to run a marathon, her own personal growth as she manages to surprise those who know her by not quitting, and her words to the reader that there will awful days as well as good ones, that make this more of an inspirational/motivational book rather than a training one.

I am re-starting to run/jog/hobble after literally running away from running over 15 years ago, and very quickly just substituted the term '5K' for 'marathon' in the book, and well, it works for me. I don't know if I'll ever be insane enough to run a marathon, but at least I can try to find the humor in it all as I ice my poor knees...