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.