For most people, running a marathon is a pretty big deal. The distance of 26.2 miles is a long way for one person to run in a single shot.

So how do people actually pull it off? What is the process for actually completing a marathon?

Let’s start with the obvious: if you break down a marathon into smaller sections, you come up with a certain number of miles, 26.2 of them to be exact. Then you can break those down into half miles or quarter miles.

But what is the simplest, singular motion that causes a runner to complete a marathon? It is a single stride, which for the average person is between 2.1-2.5 feet.

It takes the average runner somewhere between 55,000-63,000 strides to complete a marathon. Sounds like a lot, doesn’t it? But now you have a specific number you can get your head around.

Interestingly, the number of words in an average non-fiction book is around 50,000 words. So you can think of writing a book almost like running a marathon.

How do you get it done? How does a runner complete a marathon, and how does a writer complete a book? You keep moving, no matter what.

The screenwriter and producer Brian Koppelman said, “Resilience is a writer’s best friend. Train like a marathon runner. Move a little further each day despite the pain.”

There’s no special trick to writing a book or to running a marathon, for that matter. Training, persistence, and action. Put one word after another and keep moving until you reach the finish line.