The German biathlete Justus Strelow writes weekly for sport.de about his experiences in the World Cup. This time he tells us how he uses the festive season for relaxation in addition to training.
Tired from the six-hour drive, but happy about the World Cup weekend in Lenzerheide, I arrived home in the dead of Monday night. A top ten placement in the sprint and two very decent races in the pursuit and mass start: I can be very satisfied with the end of the first trimester.
I quietly unlocked our apartment door because my better half is usually asleep at 12:45 a.m., especially since Elli’s work calls early in the morning.
Christmas can come, that was obvious. How beautifully my fiancée had decorated our home during my long absence: here a wooden nutcracker, there a handmade nativity scene and, above all, the beloved Seiffen carol figures with hymn books or lanterns in their hands, all from my Erzgebirge homeland. Even the Christmas tree was already decorated and Elli had left the electric candles burning. As a nightly Christmas welcome to me. So I slept blissfully into the new week.
In addition to the training sessions that I have to complete before and during the holidays, Elli and I are still getting ready for Christmas. I’m just happy that I’ll be home a whole week before the festival this year. And relaxation for the head is also important for me as a competitive athlete. So we will stroll through the beautiful Christmas market on the cathedral square in Erfurt.
One of our paths will definitely lead me to the cart with the roasted almonds. And knowing Elli, I will have to drag her away from one or two stands with decorative items that always particularly fascinate her.
After training in the morning, we spend Christmas Eve with her parents. Of course, giving presents in the early evening is a highlight, even though we have both grown up for a long time. Elli didn’t ask me what I wanted. So she must have had her own idea. I feel the same way.
I keep a little list of gift ideas in my phone throughout the year. So I always have something ready and now and then even relatives call me who know about my list and ask if I have another suggestion for them. Of course, what I’m getting Elli for Christmas won’t be revealed here. Just this much: she will be happy about it.
And the fact that I will have a little bit of it myself makes the anticipation of Christmas even greater.
Justus Strelow