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Dave Bedford is one of the great characters of athletics. He’s famous for having set a 10,000m world record in 1973, loving a beer just as much as he loved to train hard, and in the 21st century for the 118 118 adverts which caused a legal dispute over his image rights that he claimed had been stolen.

When it came to running, he was a no-nonsense type who got the job done day in, day out and the volume he put in is basically unheard of.

Here’s a look at how Dave Bedford trained.

Dave Bedford’s Training

Bedford’s training was relentless. He’d get out three times a day to get his mileage in, which is something no elite runner would dare do now. 

The distances he ran in a typical training week have been published in km and are displayed below. 


Monday: Morning 16km; Noon 10km; Afternoon 19km.


Tuesday: Morning 16km; Noon 10km; Afternoon 8km plus 8 x 800m in 2:12.


Wednesday: Morning 16km; Noon 10km; Afternoon 6km.


Thursday: Morning 16km; Noon 10km; Afternoon 15km plus 30 x 200m.


Friday: Morning 8km; Noon 10km; Afternoon 24km.


Saturday: Morning 8km; Noon 24km; Afternoon 16km fartlek.


Sunday: Morning 8km; Noon 32km; Afternoon 8km.


Total: 300km


Criticisms

Perhaps unsurprisingly looking at the figures above, Bedford’s approach is widely criticised for it’s sheer volume. 

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