TRAIN LIKE A PRO!
We spent a week with Flora Duffy in Bermuda to learn the training secrets of the multiple road and off-road triathlon world champ
Okay, so multiple world champion Flora Duffy gets to spend an entire year in three of the best training locations in the world – her home island of Bermuda, Stellenbosch in South Africa and Boulder, Colorado. All three geographically and atmospherically perfect for creating world-class athletes. So what in the world can we learn from her training?! As it happens, loads, because locations and time commitments aside, Duffy has passion and dedication in spades – two key elements for any age-grouper looking to achieve success in tri. Joining Duffy in Bermuda at the end of January as she ramped up her training ahead of a hectic 2018 season, we discovered what it takes to race like a champion….
BE A PART OF YOUR TRAINING OUTPUT
Flora Duffy’s 2018 training season has been planned with two peaks: one peak in April for the Commonwealth Games on Australia’s Gold Coast and the World Triathlon Series’ debut event in Bermuda, and the second one in September, when she targets the WTS Grand Final.
But even if she has three coaches planning her training, Duffy isn’t merely executing the programme – she’s deeply involved in the adaptation of the plan. “I really enjoy having a lot of input into my training. Because I’ve been doing it for so long now that I know what works for me, and the things that I need to work on. But it’s also great to have other eyes looking at it and filling the holes.”
Listening to your body and coaches is also imperative. “I always tend to push for more, but my coaches are actually saying no – and obviously they’re that one step removed. They’re seeing the bigger picture and telling me that what I’m doing is fine and I don’t need to push too much too soon. I’ve had some bad injuries and learnt from my mistakes, and I know when I need to miss one session instead of the entire week.”
EMBRACE THE BIGGER PICTURE
Sometimes we need to pinpoint a motivation for why we train hard every day. For professional athletes it’s the same, although for Duffy the whole ethos of what she does is pretty simple. “I enjoy racing and that gets me out of the door. Part of my motivation is definitely loving the sport, enjoying the lifestyle of it and everything that comes with it,” she adds. But motivation can be hard to keep up and the hardest part is building a wider picture. “Motivation changes as your career develops. When I have a tough day I think about the overall goal and what it means to me to race and perform well there. And that makes all those hard training days worth it.”
SIGHT ‘BIG’ IN THE RACE DAY SWIM
As triathletes, we spend countless hours swimming up and down the black line in a pool. “Come race day,” says Duffy, “there’s no black line, only a couple of buoys in the distance. Once in the water, it can be difficult to see the buoys. So sight big and use a landmark behind the buoy – a building, a dock, mountain peak – that lines up with a buoy on the course. Sighting big will allow you to sight less, and stay on course much easier. But remember to lift your head only as high as needed.”
DON’T NEGLECT THE CORE SESSIONS
Strength and conditioning has been a huge part of Duffy’s training: “I’ve three sessions a week. Two are strength agility-based, where I do hurdle jumping, which has helped me with foot plant and given me more explosive power. The third session is core and stability-focused, with oneleg exercises and other balance workouts. I try not to skip them when I’m tired because they’re hugely beneficial for keeping me strong, moving well and injury free. They’ve kept me pretty robust and helped me handle a high level of training, travelling and racing.”
DEVELOP FLAT BIKE POWER
For riding on normal roads, we might be tempted to adopt the formula: ‘I need more power, so I’ll hit the hills to develop it’. Which is true, but there are exceptions. If you already have power in your legs deriving from hills, then you might want to transform that power into flat power. “In 2017 I worked mostly on my flat power,” says Duffy. “At one point I was doing most of my sessions on a hill gradient, and it’s obviously much easier to hit your numbers on a hill versus on the flat,” she says. “So, because most of the WTS events are pretty flat, for me the big thing has been working on my flat power and working on my very higher-end, top-end power.”
“Because most of the ITU races are flat, the big thing for me has been working on my top-end flat power”
FIND TRAINING PARTNERS TO EASE THE PAIN
It’s easy to imagine pro triathletes churning out the hours in their garage or local run routes, but Duffy is adament on the need to keep things social. “Finding a partner is great for motivation and encouragment. I often do my hard sessions with one or two others. Not every session is going to feel amazing, so to have someone else out there suffering with you can help. Plus, it keeps you accountable!
BOOST YOUR STAMINA WITH A MOUNTAIN BIKE
Duffy has found training with a MTB really benefits her road fitness. “MTB racing is very spiky up and down, and similar to short-course racing, so the road and off-road riding works well together. Doing the two keeps the bike element exciting.
“Also, riding on hard bumpy trails for two hours involves a lot of strength and is exhausting compared to two hours on the road, so there’s a core-boosting element as well. The position is much different, so you’re getting familiar with different types of bikes and it does help your sense of bike awareness and ability. But on the MTB you can also have some bad crashes that can hamper your skill confidence. I definitely do skills on the MTB and then I do a different set of skills on the road bike.
“I do one mountain bike ride a week on a Sunday afternoon, which is my ‘forget about numbers and heart rate’ and just ride for the pure joy of escaping into the mountains. Having sessions like this really helps keep you mentally fresh. And, of course, staying on top of the important and seemingly endless details such as recovery, nutrition, massage, etc. My success is due to me mentally buying into the process, enjoying building fitness and taking on challenges.
“This off-road bike set will help develop your bike-specific strength, and also your fitness as riding off road will always be a challenge.”
Warm-up 60mins with the last 10mins building up the heart rate Main set 6 x 4mins big gear at 50/60rpm with 3mins recovery (or recover on descent); 10mins easy; 4 x 30secs high cadence into 30secs rest Cool-down Ride easy for the remaining duration home
“Trail running is great as you need to be agile. It keeps you mentally stimulated and also helps with stability”
HIT THE TRAILS TO ADD VARIATION
The Bermudan topography lends itself to trail running, but hitting the off-road trails has been hugely beneficial for Duffy’s road skills. “Trail running is great because it mixes things up,” Duffy explains. “It also makes you feel uncomfortable with your foot plant, and that helps with stability. Otherwise you’re just running on a flat and smooth road in one direction. On the trails you need to be more agile, and mentally it keeps you stimulated. I encourage other athletes to try a whole different side of triathlon.”