How the great British runners trained
Steve Smythe revisits the training schedules of former British endurance athletes such as Gordon Pirie and Dave Bedford
Going back through old magazines and books on training schedules I was struck how little has changed in training plans from 40-60 years ago. The tracks have drastically changed for the better. Footwear has drastically improved and knowledge of nutrition has advanced but the basic schedules have not changed to the same degree.
The one issue that might have changed is the importance of rest and having easier days which are missing from some of the schedules!
Here below I give some details and schedules on some of the leading British runners during the 1950s to the 1980s.
His greatest run was setting a world 10,000m record of 27:30.8 in the AAA Championships in 1973. He also set a number of European records, the best of which was a 13:17.2 in the 1972 Olympic Trials, just missing the world record. He won the International cross-country title in 1971. He was sixth in both the 1972 Olympic 10,000m and 1971 European Championships ands fourth in the 1974 Commonwealth Games.
PBs
3000m: 7:46.4 (1972)
5000m: 13:17.2 (1972)
10,000m:27:30.8 (1973)
3000ms/c: 8:28.6 (1971)
Competitive season typical training week circa 1972
Monday: am: 8 miles steady, noon 6 miles steady, pm: 16 miles
Tuesday: am: 8 miles steady, noon 6 miles steady, pm: 14 miles inc 30x200m uphill
Wednesday: am: 8 miles steady, noon 6 miles steady, pm: 16 miles inc 5x1M
Thursday: am: 8 miles steady, noon 6 miles steady, pm: 12x400m in 62, jog 200m after each, 12x300m in 47, jog 100m after each, 12x200m in 32, jog 100m after each
Friday: am: 8 miles steady, noon 6 miles steady, pm: 8 miles
Saturday: race or 15 miles in morning and 10 in evening
Sunday: 20-25 miles in morning, 5-10 miles off-road in evening
He set a UK 1000m record of 2:18.2 in 1969 and ran for Britain in the 1964 and 1968 Olympics. He also ran in the 1966 and 1979 European Championships.
PBs
800: 1:46.51 (1966)
1000: 2:18.2 (1969)
1500: 3:40.4 (1964)
Mile: 3:58.6 (1968)
Competitive season typical training week circa 1967
Monday: 3 sets of 4x440 in 58 with 1 minute recovery, 6 minutes between sets.
Tuesday: 4x15 minutes sprint fartlek up hills
Wednesday: 8x220yds starting at 30 increasing to 26 with 75 seconds recovery
Thursday: 6 x 50 yards sprint
Friday: rest
Saturday: Race
Sunday: Easy workout - usually a run on the country
He ran for Britain at 800m in the 1964 and 1968 Olympics though his best year was 1966 when he was fourth in the European Championships 800m in a British record 1:46.3 and fifth in the Commonwealth Games 880 yards.
PB: 800m: 1:46.3 (1966)
Competitive season typical training week circa 1965
Monday: 800m race in 1:50.1.
Tuesday: am: 4x440 yards in 53 seconds with 5 minute intervals pm: 6 x 220 yds in 23.5-24.5 with 220 yards recovery
Wednesday: Long slow warm up; 14x150 yards in 15.5-16.0 with 150 yard walk recovery. 4x60 yds sprint starts.
Thursday: rest
Friday: easy jogging and 6x150 yds fast with walk back recovery
Saturday: rest
Sunday: 800m race in 1:46.6
Pirie was one of Britain’s greatest ever distance runners. He set world records at 3000m and 5000m.
He was silver medallist in the 1956 Olympic 5000m behind Vladimir Kuts having battled with the Russian for most of the 10,000m before fading to 8th. He was fourth and seventh in the 1952 Olympic 5000m and 10,000m and 10th in the 1960 10,000m.
PBs
Mile: 3:59.9 (1960)
3000:7:52.7 (1956)
5000: 13:36.8 (1956)
10,000: 29:15.2 (1960)
Competitive season typical training week circa 1959
Monday: 10x440 yards in 56-58. Jog 440
Tuesday: 12x880 in 2:06-2:08, Jog 440
Wednesday: 25x440 in 62-63, Jog 110s
Thursday: 30x220 in 30. Jog 220s
Friday: 40min jogging plus calisthenics
Saturday: race
Sunday: one hour fartlek on XC.
Nick Rose won the junior title in the International Cross-Country Championships in 1971. Shortly after he went to the USA to attend Western Kentucky University.
His best win was in the 1977 European Cup Final and in 1982 he won Commonwealth 5000m silver. He just missed out on making Britain’s 1976 Olympic team but did run in the 1980 and 1984 Olympics. In the latter year he finished third in the IAAF World Championships having had a clear lead until close to the finish.
He carried on to have a successful masters career and even won the British Masters M65 cross-country title in 2017.
PBs
1500m: 3:40.41 (1980)
Mile: 3:57.49 (1980)
3000m: 7:40.4 (1978)
2M: 8:18.4i (1978)
5000: 13:18.91 (1984)
10,000, 27:31.19 (1983)
HM: 61:03 (1985)
Competitive season typical training week circa 1980
Monday: am: 5M, pm: 5M
Tuesday: am: 5M, pm: 12 x 500m in 80 seconds with 60 second recoveries
Wednesday: am: 5M, pm: 5M
Thursday: am: 5M, pm: 2 sets of 8 x 200m in 28 seconds with 45 second recoveries
Friday: am: 4M, pm: 4M
Saturday: Race
Sunday: Long run 12-20M
He won the 1969 European Championships 1500m and was an Olympic finalist in 1964 (8th) and 1968 (5th). He won European indoor titles in 1966, 1967 and 1968 and was fifth in the 1970 Commonwealth Games1500m..
PBs:
1000m: 2:19.7 (1969)
1500m: 3:39.45 (1969)
Mile: 3:57.68 (1965)
Competitive season typical training week circa 1969
Monday: am: 50 minute fartlek in hills pm: 30 mins continuous run on grass
Tuesday: am: 3 x (5x330 in 42-43 with 110 jog between each) and 5 mins between sets pm: 30 mins continuous run on grass
Wednesday: 5 timed runs at race pace 1:50, 1:50, 3:45, 1:50, 1:50
Thursday: 50 mins fartlek on hills
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Race or 10-12 mile run in woods
Sunday: 10x330 yds in 41 with 2 mins recovery or 3 x 3/4 mile in 3:02 with 10min rest
Photography by Mark Shearman
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