Kristin - I did the HH Intermediate 2 program for my marathon.  I liked it, but I was already doing 40 mile weeks when I started the plan. My average during training stayed at the same level I was already doing thanks to the recovery weeks.   I cut back a bit for the first few weeks because I was travelling, so I ended up doing about the same mileage as the plan called for, just not on the same schedule. I really didn't want a major cut in mileage, which is why I chose the plan I did.  What I liked about the HH plan, as someone who is also prone to injury, was the lack of speedwork, since I tend to get hurt doing speedwork. (I have had a chronic hamstring problem since October thanks to a speed session gone wrong followed by a 5k that made things worse.)   I also liked the fact that when the mileage built up to 50 mile weeks the following week was a cut back week.  For a serious runner, it isn't ideal, but for my first, it helped.  I got seriously intimidated by the 5 - 10 - 5- 10MP- 20 weeks, but knowing that the following week was going to allow for recovery helped. Doing the runs with MP the day before the long run also helped psychologically because even though I hadn't done race distance in training, I knew what it was like doing a very long run on tired legs.  I still wore out during my marathon, but that was largely because I ran too fast in my early miles and paid the price at the end. I expected that.  I didn't have a death march, but miles 21-25 were painful.  OTOH, I finished right where I expected to finish.  I expected somewhere between 4:20 and 4:30 and finished in 4:21.  That is slower than my McMillan time (4:13), but I expected that since I averaged 40 mpw for the whole of my training, not 70.

Will I do the same plan next time?  I don't know.  I'd rather do more overall miles, if I can.  I'd like to do some LT runs, at least in the early weeks if I ever get my hamstrings healed.  OTOH, the HH plan worked and I felt prepared for the race.  I don't think that would have been the case with a lower mileage plan.