WHILE most of us like to spend the festive break lazing in our beds, Flora Duffy has been up before dawn pushing herself to the limit as the dedicated triathlete bids to keep peak fitness ahead of the Commonwealth Games being staged in Melbourne, Australia in March. The ability to keep her eyes on the prize and resist seasonal temptations comes as nothing new for the plucky 18-year-old who has been taking her sport seriously for more than a decade.

And it is certainly paying off with Duffy shaving nine minutes off the required qualifying time at a recent dual Commonwealth/World Championship qualifying event at Clearwater.

Back from her studies in the south west of England, where she recently finished second in the British Junior Duathlon Championships, Duffy topped a gutsy performance in the water and on the bike with a 37-minute, 41-second 10K run to place third overall, behind winner Riaan Naude and second-placed Jamie Brown.

Duffy was glad to break her string of under-performances on the course and grab a finish time of two hours seven minutes which she has only bettered once before on an Olympic course in the UK in September.

But it came as no surprise given the quality of coaching she gets at Kelly College in Devon, England where she trains under one of the UK's leading triathlon coaches, Rich Brady, and swimming director and former Commonwealth Games medallist and record holder, Robin Brew.

The venue was recommended by top UK triathlon coach Steve Trew because of its dedicated triathlon programme.

Duffy told : "Going out in the winter cycling is not pleasant, it is quite cold. But the coaching I have had in England has helped me so much. I have come on in triathlon so much more than if I had stayed here.

"I train more and it's more structured. You get better work-outs there because it's all planned to how you are ? it's not just random running sets or whatever."

She's not sure how her coach figures out what's needed but whatever it is she's had to take it all in her stride ? sometimes literally ? as she has been forced to adopt a new running technique.

"That's helped me a lot. I have smaller strides now, which saves energy for when you are on the bike. If you are lifting your legs up higher it's more energy you are using.

"It seems to have worked. It felt very awkward at first but I made it my own style."

The decision to pursue her dream by going to England is the latest stage in a journey which began aged seven when it seemed natural to combine her love of running and swimming by adding cycling and entering the Iron Kids triathlon. She won it first time around and every subsequent year she took part.

Her first overseas competition was in Atlanta when she was eight. It was something of an eye opener.

Although she came fifth she found it hard going. "I was pretty nervous and at the end threw up in a trash can. Neil my coach was holding me up."

And Neil de ste Croix has been holding her up ever since.

"He's been there from the beginning. I owe a lot of my success to him. Still now, even when I come back from England he still comes out running and cycling with me. He was out today running and pacing with me."

While she didn't train on Christmas Day there was little let up over the festive break for Duffy who got up every morning at 5.30 to swim for two hours. Cycling means even earlier starts.

"The other week I got up at 4.30 to go cycling at five. I am kind of used to it because I have been doing it so long but I do find it hard.

"Especially now I am 18 and all my friends are going out and I say I can't, I have to go cycling tomorrow morning.

"At the end of the day I really enjoy my sport so I don't miss it too much. At times it's hard but then I think about how many incentives I get like going to Australia."

Duffy prepared by competing at the World Championships in September.

It was another tough race for Duffy who is determined to learn from her setbacks as much as her successes.

"I didn't have the best race. I was quite disappointed with it all. I learned it was one of those days and it can't be your day every time, you have to keep going with it. I was very disappointed having trained hard all summer but I had a bad day."

Now her mind is fixed on the Commonwealth Games in Australia in March but she won't be drawn on what she hopes to achieve.

"I don't really know what to expect. I just want to have a good race and enjoy the experience.

"If I hit a good day I want to come out of the swim in the front pack, and stay with them on the bike and hold on for the run. If I run like I did two weeks ago I should have a really good race and be quite high up there."

Even if she under-performs there are plenty more competitions ahead of her.

"With triathlon you don't hit your peak until your late 20s so I think I have another good ten years," she said.

However triathlon puts a tremendous strain on the body as evidenced by the fate which befell Evan Naude who tore a calf muscle in the recent qualifier at Clearwater.

And Duffy has her own injury worries, having fought off a long-lasting shin splint problem only to develop a foot problem which she believes is a possible stress fracture or ligament strain.

"I rested it a lot three weeks ago ? I took a week off running and it seemed to get better but is acting up recently. But it is not at the point where it will stop me running. If it gets any worse I will take some time off."