FIRST 3PLUS2 Run Program - Any users/results????

I have a plan that also seems to work:

Run lots, mostly easy, sometimes hard.

It means running more than 3x week, though, and running most of the time at an easy effort.

FIRST will work, assuming a couple things:

1) You have a fair amount of running experience;
2) You are religious about the runs and the cross-training.  That means no skipping out on anything;
3) You are religious about the paces.  That means no going faster, or going slower;
4) You use it to train for a SPECIFIC RACE, and not as a general approach to run training year-round.

I have also talked to a number of people that had even greater success with the program if they substituted some of the cross-training for extra runs.

Agree with what others have said.

This plan is very difficult.  IMHO, you need to be an experienced runner with a solid base to even attempt it without high chance of injury. 

I am currently using it for training as part of getting ready for a HIM in March.
I didn't start with it, but adjusted to my schedule and started at about 8 weeks in. I am now 4 weeks from finish.
If you are honest, and choose a pace that is a reasonable goal, it is doable, but tough.
I have 3 years of marathon experience, but no real speedwork. 2 years of tri experience and a solid base.

I PR'd a 1/2 marathon by 10 minutes from last year and almost 20 from the last time I ran the same course 2 years ago.

The running has been tough, and faster than I tend to run, but it works.