Florie Clément, new recruit of the Guidetti Nordic Performance Team

Florie joined the Guidetti Nordic Performance Team in September 2022. We invite you to discover her through this interview.

Can you introduce yourself in a few words?

I am 38 years old and I have 2 children.
I live near Manosque in the Alpes de Haute Provence (04).
After being a school teacher for 15 years, I made a career change. I have now been a sports instructor for a year and a half.
I teach muscle strengthening, cardio, and gentle gym classes in the gym and I lead Nordic walking outings.

When did you start Nordic walking?

I discovered Nordic walking during my training, so only a year and a half ago. I used to practice trail running, a sport that I had to put aside for a while due to an injury. Nordic walking then presented itself as a very good alternative to running. I discovered competition at the end of 2021 and everything happened very quickly!

What do you particularly like about this discipline?

I find a bit of the same sensations as in trail running: practicing an endurance sport, outside, in nature, but without the impacts! In addition, you strengthen your entire upper body.
Without knowing it, I already had the right walking technique with poles in long trail running, so it helped me a lot with Nordic walking.

What are your results for this first year of competition?

I did two MNT competitions (Nordic Walking Tour) in France, then
- The Master European Championships in Italy in May: I finished 1st in the W35-39 category and 9th overall.
- The World Championships in Poland in June over 21 km: I finished 3rd in my 18-39 category and 10th overall.

Then with Team Guidetti Nordic Performance, at the French Championships in December, I finished 5th overall and 1st in my M0 category.

What motivated you to join Team Guidetti Nordic Horizon?

Having seen that I hadn't renewed my competition license at the beginning of the year, the members of the Team contacted me to see if I would like to join them.
The team seemed nice and I was really excited to have Guidetti equipment!
The distance between my region and the Ile de France means that we don't see each other much, but we still have regular contact and we meet up for competitions.

What are your training habits?

I do 15 to 20 hours of sport per week with my new job, so specific "Nordic walking" training sessions alone are unfortunately rare.

I recently started offering interval walking training at the stadium to my members, which allows me to work with them a little. But it's difficult for me to use group time to do "serious" training for myself. Otherwise, I like to do running outings as a supplement when I can.

Overall, there's quite a bit of elevation around my house. It's both a real pleasure and a slight disadvantage compared to the types of terrain I encounter in Nordic walking competitions, which often take place on flat circuits.

What are your next milestones?

The start of 2023 is much calmer than the start of the season.
Most recently, I took part in the Nordic Aixoise (national circuit) on January 22nd, where I finished 2nd women. Then, I'm planning to go to the Nordic Walkin Puy St Vincent in March. And the rest of the season will be built as the waters and commitments of the Guidetti Nordic Horizon Team unfold.
I will also restart trail running competition with the goal of doing my first 80km this summer!

Interview by Aurélie Joubin on 01/20/23