I really appreciate the kind words, experiences, and testimonials from
@DopeyBadger plan runners . In case anyone misunderstood my original post, when I say "respect the distance/training" I did not mean that every runner must run a set number of miles before their first race of any distance. Rather I believe that respecting the distance/training means taking it seriously and putting in what it takes to complete it.
Doing the research and finding a Goofy/Dopey plan that requires 5-6 days of running per week that may culminate with a long run of 12 miles and then doing your very best to get most/all of those runs in, especially the long ones respects the distance/training. And if you asked someone to do a custom plan for you, this means you also respected their time in creating and modifying that plan as needed.