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''Main article: [[FIRST]]''
The [[FIRST]] (Furman Institute of Running and Scientific Training) plan is an evolution of the Jack Daniels approach and is described in the book [http://www.amazon.com/Runners-World-Less-Faster-Revolutionary/dp/159486649X Run Less, Run Faster]. It is also the only plan I have come across that actually attempts a scientific evaluation of their training methodology. Like Jack Daniels it provides specific training paces based on fitness level for clearly defined workouts. The unique attribute of [[FIRST]] is that it combines 3 days per week of running with two days of cross training. The three days of running are a [[Long Run]], a tempo run, and an interval training [[Interval Training]] session. This makes [[FIRST]] a tough training plan, as every run is a hard workout, with no easy "fun" running. It is possible to use this training plan without the two days of cross training but according to the Furman Institute their research has shown that this is less effective.
# Key Characteristics
## Run 3 days/week, cross train 2 days/week.
** While the Hanson plan states that 16 miles is the longest [[Long Run]], they use longer long runs for their elite runners. These elite runners are covering the distance faster, but everyone racing the marathon has to cover the same distance.
** The training paces vary with the marathon goal, which is a significant difference from the Jack Daniel's or FIRST approaches, where your training pace is based on your previous result. An athlete's goal might be a 2:30 finish, but if their prior finish is 4:00 hours, then the Hanson approach will have them training way too fast. That's obviously an extreme example, but it is quite common for runners to set aggressive goals.
** The long runs are between 30-45 seconds/mile slower than race pace. Personally, I don't believe that a 16 mile [[Long Run]] at 45 seconds per mile slower than race pace prepares an athlete adequately. That distance and pace represents only about half the effort required for the race itself (using glycogen [[Glycogen]] depletion equations as a proxy for effort).
* {{MarathonGoodFor}}:
** {{MarathonBeginner}}: 0. This plan probably has too much speed work for a beginner, and the [[Long Run]]s probably are not sufficient. In addition, the ramp up from the start to 16 miles starts off slowly, but then builds up rather rapidly. Look at Galloway or Higdon instead.
## While the plans adjust for mileage, they don't adjust for fitness levels.
# Modifications
## I would drop some of the recovery runs [[Recovery Runs]] in the higher mileage plans and use of those days for rest.
# [[Overtraining]] risk
## The [[Overtraining]] risk varies with the plan; sub-55 is moderate, 55-70 is moderate to high, 70-85 is high, 85+ is high to very high. I would be extremely cautious of the higher mileage plans.
