TicketsThroughout the 2006-07 school year, select UC student-athletes will share their experiences on and off the field with Bearcat fans through CATSblogs. These student-athletes will take you in to the life of a Bearcat and share their struggles and triumphs. Fans can email questions or comments to their favorite CATSblogger here! Be sure to include your name and hometown.
Nichole Leslie is a junior on the cross country and track & field teams. She is a health sciences major and works as a student assistant in the UC compliance office.
November 30, 2006
What a week! Between running, our last week of class, and UC athletics things have been crazy. Lucky for us though, the weather has been gorgeous this week...that is all going to change tomorrow, but we enjoyed it while we could.
Monday we had our first track workout of the year. It was nice enough to be on the outdoor track, and it felt like a spring night. The workout was a little challenging, but everyone pushed through it and ran really well. It was definitely hard to get the legs moving that fast again. The rest of the week we got to relax a little bit and get in some solid runs. Today however, is the main event of the fall quarter for the track team. It is the annual intrasquad meet. The team has been divided into Red and Black teams and will compete against each other today. This is the first time they can see where they are at in their training and have a little friendly competition. Most of the cross country team are not competing in the events this afternoon, but will be helping out as officials. It is always a fun competition to be a part of.
Besides practice, it is the last week of classes for the quarter. I have been getting ready for finals and touching up a couple papers so I can finish the quarter right. I am looking forward to getting finals done next week and then being able to relax a little bit over Christmas break.
The Bearcat men's basketball team won their game against Oakland last night. My friend Brandon and I went to cheer them on. It was my first game of the year and Brandon's first b-ball game ever. I was glad the Cats were able to come from behind and pull off a win. It was a fun night!
This week I had my meeting with coach to discuss my track goals and plans. It was a really good talk and I am anxious to start working on some things and checking things off the list. Lucky for me I don't have to wait long. I am racing Saturday in an indoor meet with some of my fellow teammates. We are leaving bright and early to head off to Findlay, Ohio for our opening meet. This is the first time we have competed before break, but we are hoping to qualify some people for conference.
You know you're a distance runner if...... you know splits are something that not only cheerleaders care about.
Until tomorrow, enjoy today.
Nic
November 26, 2006
I had a great Thanksgiving break! I spent the first two days of break with my family in Huron. Wednesday my brother had off school so I got to spend time with him and go running together. I also went to lunch with my mom and sister. I got in a lift with my dad and finally got to see my boyfriend.
Thanksgiving morning it was up early to race. Two of my biggest fans (Steve and my dad) went along to watch and cheer. The race was on a college cross country course and was a 10k. It was gorgeous weather compared to past years so the turnout was great! And lucky for us the course was true to its cross country nature. It was a muddy mess! Then to cap it off about halfway through the fog rolled in. By the time I got close enough to see the finish line I was right on top of it. I was happy with my finish though and even more excited to eat the calories I burned!
We had three meals between noon and eight. My aunt and cousins came over for lunch, and then we went to my cousins for an early dinner (we had three kinds of turkey; smoked, roasted, and deep fried), finally it was to my aunt and uncles for dinner. I was stuffed and exhausted after the day was done.
Friday my parents and brother headed to Wisconsin while Steve and I headed to Put-in-Bay for the rest of the weekend. We had Thanksgiving with his parents and grandparents and had a lot of fun! It was the first time I had ever been to South Bass Island so I got the tour. What I didn't get on the tour I got on my runs. It was great to see the stars and no traffic lights. The weather was unseasonably warm so the boat ride back was so nice.
Then it was back to reality....break was done and it was back to Cincy. It's hard to believe the quarter is almost done! We have one week of classes, our first indoor meet this weekend, followed by a week of finals. Well I guess I should start doing some studying....
You know you're a distance runner if.... you won't drive by any running store without a quick look inside.
Until tomorrow, enjoy today. Nic
November 19, 2006
It's Sunday again! Our week off was so nice, but went way to fast. It was weird to have extra energy and time on my hands. I even got to watch Opera! I was able to work more, get more school work done, and pamper myself a little. As a team we planned some fun activities for the weekend.
Friday night we had a team potluck dinner. The evening started with hor'deurves provided by Kevin....cheese and crackers. I made broccoli salad which is one of my favorites. There were also mashed potatoes, chicken, pasta salad, rolls, and a number of other dishes. Of course lack of exercise for the week didn't help me as I piled my plate up with food. Then to make it worse, of course we had twice as many deserts as main dishes. Lucky for me though there were a lot of pies and pudding things which I am not a fan of. Amy made no-bake cookies which I love, so I had a few of those. Afterwards Stetson Hills aka Kevin, Taylor, Dave, Eric, and Eric played at Holy Grail. I did not attend, but a lot of people did. It was a great evening full of food, fun, and friends!
The reason I did not go watch the guy's rock out was that I started volunteering at Christ Hospital yesterday. In order to get into graduate school you have to have so many hours in an acute care physical therapy setting. I really enjoyed it! The therapist and the patients were all very nice and it was a great experience. I will be going there every so often to help out. I finished just in time to watch the Ohio State vs. Michigan game. Although I did multi task.....Amy and I went for a two mile run and then worked out at the rec. I was able to watch the first half of the game and work out which was nice. I watched the rest of the game in the comfort of my own home and then it was time for the UC game. It was unbelievable! There were more people at the game then I had ever seen in Nippert Stadium, and the Bearcats didn't disappoint. They upset number seven Rutgers 30-11. When the game was done we stormed the field...it was CRAZY! After that it was home to change for another evening with the cross country team and friends. This time it was a meeting of forces as everyone dressed up as super heroes. It was a lot of fun and a great way to officially end the season.
Today I caught up on sleep and went for a nice run in the cold mist. I watched some football (The Pats won!) and got some stuff together to go home for Thanksgiving. Then it was off to work study tables for five hours....only two days left and then I get to go home. I am looking forward to it so much! I haven't been home since August, and it will be great to be there...okay I'm looking forward to the food too ;)
You know you're a distance runner if.... you have more T-shirts than a souvenir shop.
Until tomorrow, enjoy today. Nic
November 12, 2006
The cross country season is officially over. Now I am not really sure how I feel about this- it was a great season; I just think I have more in me still. It will have to wait until indoor track now.
We left Friday at noon to head up to Bowling Green. It was a gorgeous day here in Cincy! Everyone had on shorts and t-shirts. Unfortunately northern Ohio didn't let us down. It was probably twenty degrees colder when we arrived at the course and the wind was blowing! The course was nicely marked and everyone seemed to get focused. After running the course we went to our hotel to get cleaned up for dinner. We had a delicious meal at Bob Evans then relaxed until coach got back from his meeting. Then we had our team meetings and received our numbers (All four of them!). Everyone was ready to go and ready to achieve some goals.
Saturday morning arrived and we achieved our goals despite the conditions. It was a cold and rainy day but for us that was nothing new. The women ran first and we got off to a good start. We finished 19th out of 33 teams and beat fellow state rivals Miami, Xavier, and Dayton. We also only finished five points behind Akron. Coach along with the team was very happy with the results.
The guys ran awesome! They wanted to be the first team from Ohio and almost were. They finished 10th one place behind Ohio State. The guys had to run their first and only 10k of the season. John finished 31st just missing All-Region. It was awesome to see the guys in the mix with some high caliber athletes and teams. It was also Taylor's last race as a Bearcat, and he left it all on the muddy course. He will be greatly missed by everyone.
The weather did not stop our dedicated fans from making the trip and cheering us on. There were lots of family and friends braving the weather. My parents, Aunt Cathy and Cousin Beth, along with my boyfriend and his parents were all there screaming...and trying to keep warm. It was an exciting day and a great season. All good things must come to an end...now it's time to get ready for indoor (after a week off).
You know you're a distance runner if....you feel naked without your watch.
Until tomorrow, enjoy today. Nic
November 8, 2006
Today was my last day of class for the week! Short weeks are always nice...I do however have to work tomorrow and talk to a freshmen seminar class about my major and college experience. I am actually looking forward to it!
I am more excited to race this weekend! It should be a good day to race and I am looking forward to having a cheering section. Bowling Green has a fast course, good competition, and we're ready to go. On the women's side we are only running six, but all of us are geared up to go out with a bang.
"Only think of two things-the gun and the tape. When you hear the one, just run like hell until you break the other." -Sam Mussabini
Until tomorrow...enjoy today Nic
November 6, 2006
So I have been slacking a little bit writing, but I will try to do a better job. Things have been a little busy down here! Going to conference was so much fun, but when you come back you have lots of stuff to do! Last week I had to play catch up and get ready for an exam today. On top of that we have still been training hard so that we are ready for regionals this weekend.
Last week we had some gorgeous days to run, some cold days, and some rainy days. Of course the rainy day was when we ran at (It always rains when we practice at )! We did have a tough week of running though, but it felt good.
The highlight of my week was of course the weekend. I actually got to see my family and not race! I went up to Friday after class to spend some time with the family and watch my brother and his team (which my dad coaches) run at the State Cross Country Meet. It was nice to see my family, extended family, and the runner's parents. Saturday it was a little chilly and winding, but that didn't stop the fans from going to Scioto Downs. In the crowd were many of my fellow teammates and Coach and his wife Cathy. If you have never made the trip to state it is a lot different then any other cross country meet. The race starts and finishes on a horse track which means the fans are in stands. There are two loops on each side of the stadium which the runners compete, and as a spectator you have to leave the stadium and race to each side to cheer. It was a workout, but well worth it. My brother finished 8th in and his team was 12th. My brother was happy with 8th but wished he would have broken 16. I think all of the boys were disappointed with their team finish, but for everyone except my brother it was their first trip. It was a fun trip and it was nice to see the buys run well and catch up with my family.
Sunday was the day to catch up and watch some football. The Bengals played awful and lost and then to cap it off the Patriots lost...to the Colts! I had to work study tables during the first half of the game, but made it home in time to watch the second half. Then it was to bed to get ready for another week of school-a short one!
We have Friday off of school which is a good thing because we are leaving for Regionals. That means I only have three days of class. With this weekend being our last cross meet we had a short workout at and the rest of the week isn't looking too bad. Everyone is looking to have a great race to finish off the season. The guys are looking strong, but on the women's side we seem to be coming down with lots of aches and pains. We will however, run hard Saturday at no matter what. I am excited because it is only an hour away from my house so some of my family will be there rooting for us.
Oh tomorrow is my mom's birthday so Happy Birthday Momma!
"I was pushed by myself because I have my own rule, and that is that every day I run faster, and try harder." -Wilson Kipketer