The 200-mile-per-week training of Dave Bedford

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.