Me, on the TV promoting the books:
Book Website: www.dreaminmotion.net
“The bicycle can be a daunting road machine for newcomers, but in the hands of Dawn Dais you won’t be intimidated; in fact, you will be inspired to get rolling. She deftly approaches key topics of the two-wheel sport with creative flair, personal humility, and much-needed empathy for all beginners.”
—Bill Katovsky, founder of Tri-Athlete magazine and coauthor of Bike for Life: How to Ride to 100
The Noncyclist’s Guide to the Century and Other Road Races
U.S. $15.95 May 2009, Seal Press
Get an autographed copy of the book: dawn@dreaminmotion.net
Click here to read the book's Intro
Order the book at Amazon.com
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I started off my cycling journey with the intention of simply riding a bunch and completing a 100-mile bike ride at the end, wherein I would once again be basked in the glory of a hard-earned finish line (I was so hoping that this would be one of the few finish lines I crossed without shedding any tears). But as I got more into the cycling world the more I realized that Century Rides (a 100-mile ride) were just a teensy tiny part of the cycling world. When I found out that some of the other parts could take me on a bike through Europe, on a pub crawl in my own city and to work I started to sense that maybe this sport was about more than just torturing myself. This was a revolutionary revelation. A sport that I didn't dread? Who woulda thunk it? Just like during my marathon training I kept a journal throughout my cycling and have included these priceless insights in the book. Along with those witty glimpses into the mind of the laziest active person in the world, I've also included everything you need to know to get started on your journey to the Tour de France (or at least the Tour de Down to the local Mini Mart). And I think the sales department says it best, because that's what sales departments do, really:
After the success of The NonRunner's Guide I was looking for another way to torture myself for the sake of my readers' entertainment. Because the marathon training had jacked up my poor knees so badly I was hesitant to do anything that was going to further cement my need for prosthetics before the age of 35. Cycling seemed like a great fit because of its limited pavement-pounding (there was still pavement to be pounded in cycling, but most of the pavement was pounded by my hands and/or shoulders when I went flying off the bike and onto said pavement...)
Although the title of the book mentions training for a Century Ride the book actually contains information and all sorts of cycling - from riding to work, to cycling vacations and short fun rides throughout the country.
You can go to Amazon.com and read sample pages of the book, to get an idea how side-splittingly funny and life-altering it really is. You can read more pages if you are signed in to your Amazon account, I believe.
Sales Blurb
Get off your butt, get into some spandex . . . and get back on your butt again! Dawn Dais, author of The Nonrunner’s Marathon Guide for Women, is back and ready to take new cyclists from the bike store floor to the finish line. Dawn covers everything that newbie racers need to know: selecting the race that’s best for you, choosing a bike that offers both performance and comfort, creating a training schedule (and sticking to it), getting to know the cycling community and actually participating in the big event, plus information on planning cycling vacations and more. With hilarious, true-life accounts of cross-training and crotch rashes, The Noncyclist's Guide to the Century and Other Road Races is a fun and informative guide that’s perfect for both athletes and non-athletes interested in getting their butts into gear.
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Me, on the road promoting the first book:
Book Website: www.nonrunnersmarathontraining.com
"Dawn Dais is your average nonrunner who experienced firsthand what it’s like to shake up the routine and train for a marathon—and finish it! This is a funny guide that provides needed motivation for a journey that can change your life for the better."
—U.S. Olympian Jeff Galloway, author of the bestselling book Marathon
The Nonrunner's Marathon Guide for Women
$14.95 February 2007, Seal Press
Get an autographed copy of the book: dawn@dreaminmotion.net
Where to get the book:
Amazon
Powells.com
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I hate running. And it doesn’t like me much either. My fitness routine used to consist entirely of me getting to the bottom of my stairs at home and then realizing I had forgotten something upstairs. I then had to bitterly climb back up the stairs to retrieve said object. And about 50% of the time I’d just leave the object upstairs, because who really has the energy to climb stairs? With this exercising philosophy firmly in place I set off on an attempt to complete a marathon.
How is it that I went from Elmer Fudd to the Road Runner? I’m not quite sure. I came home one day to find a postcard from the American Stroke Association in my mailbox. The postcard showed very happy people very happily running a marathon. They were running to raise money for the American Stroke Association (hence them being on the American Stroke Association’s postcard).
My grandfather, who had recently passed away, had had a debilitating stroke many years ago. I felt this had to be a sign from him somehow, “Do this marathon,” he was saying, “Raise money for this cause.” There was also a coupon for Jimboy’s Tacos in my mail. Apparently Grandpa was also saying, “eat a discounted taco.” This message seemed more his style.
But still, I could not ignore the sign. When you lose a relative there is the feeling of wanting to do something: something huge, something profound, something that can somehow honor a life now gone. Unfortunately, nothing could ever be big enough to honor a whole life. But my lazy ass moving for 26 consecutive miles--that’s pretty profound.
So I decided to run a marathon, or at least finish a marathon. And that’s when things started to get funny.
The Nonrunner’s Marathon Guide for Women is meant to be a guide for other couch potatoes who decide that running a marathon sounds like a fantastic idea. The book offers insight into what your training will entail and how to get through the training once it stops sounding like a fantastic idea. Every chapter offers advice in a relatable fashion, from someone (that would be me) who feels your pain (and hears your cussing) and knows you can get to the finish line, even when you barely feel like you can get out of bed.
In addition to rock solid advice the book also offers interactive tests, quizzes and journal space so you can keep a detailed account of the hell you endured during your foray into the running world. These sections will be fun to do while you are training, but they will be even more fun to read afterwards, after you wake up from the sweat and Advil induced haze of marathon training.
To many a marathon seems like an unattainable feat. But, just like anything in life – it can be done. The book is specifically about running a marathon but on a broader scale it is about setting a seemingly impossible goal and the effort and commitment it takes to see it through to the end. I hope you will be entertained by the fact that I once had to stop and take a nap on the side of a running trail, or that I was passed by the same runner three times in one race. But hopefully you will also be inspired by the fact that in both of these instances I finished my run. As miserable as I felt or as many times as that same Matchbox 20 song came on my headphones I never, ever quit. Sure, I sat down and cried a few times, but hopefully my overall journey to the finish line will inspire you to set your personal goals a bit higher. And more importantly it will inspire you to have a sense of humor if you sometimes falter along the way.
Happy Trails…