How far in the past? pre-70s?
Outside of coe and ovett in the late 80s and early 90s, both of whom were 800 runners, europe hasn't produced any solid distance talent. The africans have dominated, but thats all irrelevant. I personally find it hard to directly compare world class training to my own.
When I get up to 70 mpw I'll usually have around 3 morning runs of 4 miles each. One long run of 12-14 miles and I always take one day off. This usually leaves around ~44 miles between 5 days and 9 miles/day isn't bad. Do a couple 10 milers and recovery runs. Plus, for those who don't know, HAVING RUNNING PARTNERS MAKES RUNNING EASIER! Also, have a goal keeps the motivation up.
Sorry for the rambling.