Its well worth the payoff, but its incredibly hard. Its hard if your a dedicated fan to just stop reading/watching all together for months on end. Its hard because there's always the [high] risk of spoilers (I for one LOVE reading the chapter the week of, spoiler free, it just kills the mood completely if I accidentally read a thread title and know whats happening or I have an idea for whats coming). And its hard because if your a dedicated fan, over time the stress of wanting new content is going to wear down on you.
If you do decide to venture on the bold quest of marathoning the anime or manga (or both), I highly suggest taking up a new manga/anime you have either seen very little of or are new completely too. It has to be long enough to sustain your interest for your journey, and also interesting as a series. Good luck, you brave trooper you.