Written by: Nicole Grazioli '12

Junior Nicole Giove, from Fountain Valley, Calif., is excited for the upcoming seasons of cross country and track.  In cross country, her career best was 18:14 (5k) at the Bronco Invitational in 2008 and in track, her career bests were 17:59 (5k), 11:12 (3200) and 5:23 (1600) at the Brutus Hamilton Invitational in 2009.  With hard work in the off-season, she looks to improve her personal records, while helping the teams have successful seasons.  Giove took time away from her busy summer schedule to talk with Santaclarabroncos.com about training, memories from the past two years with the Broncos and her other hobbies outside of running.

SCU: What have you been up to this summer? Any upcoming plans?

NG: This summer has been going really quick. I took an online class from home and came back up about a week ago to take another summer school class. At home, I explored some new trails in Orange County with my brother.  Also, I went on a family vacation to Maui.  The trip was great because I realized how much I miss water sports like snorkeling.

SCU: Which do you like better- cross country or track? Why?

NG: I definitely like cross country better.  I love the scenery and the terrain of it that the track doesn't have.  Cross country also brings much more of a team effort for success.

SCU: You are a long distance runner.  What led you to that instead of short distance?

NG: I have never been much of mid-distance runner. I don't have the leg speed, but have much more endurance.  During junior high, when I started to enjoy running, I did some runs with my dad, who was the same way as me- more of a distance runner, not a speedster. His runner characteristics just seemed to carry over to me.

SCU: In track, you've competed in the 5k, 3200 and 1600 races. What race do you prefer to compete in and why?

NG: I love the 5k! It's an event that's not over in the blink of an eye.  Instead, the race takes time and needs discipline and patience to succeed. Time, discipline, and patience have been some of the hardest things for me to learn as a runner, but I've found that in understanding these traits, running has become that much more accomplishing for me. I'm hoping to develop these skills enough and try the 10k within the next couple of track seasons.

SCU: How many miles a week do you run on average for training?

NG: During the summer, we usually add five miles every other week, working up to 75-80 miles by the time we all meet up for preseason at the end of August.  During the season, we keep our mileage between 55-65 miles.  By the end of season, we taper down to lower mileage by championship time.

SCU: Do you have a favorite trail? Where is it and why is it your favorite?

NG: At home, some of my favorite trails are Aliso Creek Wilderness Park and Laguna Wilderness Park.  Both are big parks and have a variety of trails that are hilly and flat.  Here with the team, one of my favorite trails we train are Huddart and Quicksilver.  Huddart is always beautiful as we are running through the shade of the redwoods.  Quicksliver, in New Almaden, has a huge historical background for its mines and awesome views of San Jose.

SCU: Do you enjoy running by yourself or with others?

NG: I enjoy running with others much more! Running is where most of us on the team are more relaxed.  By being away from homework and school, we often times have the best conversations on our runs.

SCU: Do you listen to music while you run?

NG: I don't listen to music when I run.  However, I listen to music before most of my races. Some of my favorite pump-up tunes are "Headstrong" by Trapt, "Top of the World" by The All American Rejects, "Youth of the Nation" by P.O.D and "Lose Yourself" by Eminem.

SCU: What has been your favorite memory on the team?  Do you have a favorite meet or invitational?

NG: It's too hard to pick just one favorite memory here at SCU.  But just to name a few memories: running our tempo run with Brandi Chastain, getting lost on trails with Erin, going to nationals with Stephanie Wilson, getting Amy Yoder Begley's autograph with Monica Coen and racing in regionals this past year in Oregon where most of our team road tripped to and where we were the loudest in the crowd!  One of my favorite meets is our own invitational because of all the support we get at the meet and all the people that come to watch.

SCU: What are some of your goals for next season?

NG: I am so excited for this season!  I feel ready to race after being injured during the track season and finding confidence in my abilities. This season, I will continue to be healthy and drop my times and finally post a good 5k time as well. 

SCU: Besides cross country and track, what do you like to do in your free time?

NG: I love photography! When I was injured during track, I took pictures at our meets.  Sometimes I'll walk around campus and get some shots of the rose gardens. I usually carry my camera on me so I can always get some great shots. With all my pictures, I also enjoy scrapbooking.

The first cross country invitational is September 4 in San Francisco, Calif.