I in no way want to run a marathon, never did. I needed to read this book to get motivation about running at all! So I did. I used the tactics in the first couple chapters to get into it. For years I've been trying to attain the "runner's high" that some people get that are crazy about running, and I have to say, this book does not deliver that. You will get motivated, you will get in shape, but it won't be easy because if you're like me, you won't want to get out and just "start". But when I finally put the book down long enough to run, when I realized that I can't just read my way to fitness, I went out, ran his 3-5-3 program, and I can say now that I look forward to waking up and taking a run in the morning to start it off right.