I am not a religious person. I am not even what you would consider a spiritual being. I grew up Lutheran by default as that was my parents “religion” and therefore on my birth certificate. The End!
Germany does not have a separation of church and state and everyone automatically belongs to one church/religion or another. You pay church tax that comes directly out of your paycheck unless you make a conscious effort to opt out, sign the necessary paperwork and pay a fee. I did just that when I turned 18. And even though there is no official separation religion plays a much lesser role in politics and every day life than it does here, where we supposedly have said separation. Go figure!
For as long as I can remember religion has always been a bit suspect to me and if I had to choose a faith for myself I would probably go with Buddhism, which is more of a philosophy. A philosophy that thrives to end suffering, achieve nirvana, and escape what is seen as a cycle of suffering and rebirth. Which is just the opposite of what most other religious branches seems to be after. As we know most wars are being fought over differences in religious beliefs and the amount of bloodshed “in the name of God” is rather off putting to me personally.
But I do understand that for many people their belief is essential to their (well) being and I truly respect everyone’s religious freedom, just as long as they do not scrutinize me as a non believer. I had an almost traumatizing experience with rather overzealous religious fanatics (yes, fanatics) my first year in college and still shudder thinking about those weeks where people would show up on my door step in the middle of the night to scream at me for knowing “the truth” and refusing to be “born again”. Interestingly enough I never heard of a believer experiencing the same trauma at the hand of a non believer although I am sure it is possible. Maybe!
In any case, I don’t want to get into too many details as it is Holy week and Pesach and I want to respect those for whom this is the highest holiday of the year.
With that in mind I am here to tell you that Easter has always been my favorite holiday, especially when it falls in April. It marks the end of winter and spring is in full bloom, summer on its way. Yes, even as a kid summer was my all time favorite season. All throughout my childhood and adolescence Easter was associated with fun times. I usually spent the holiday and three weeks off from school with my aunt and uncle in Vienna. My aunt used to go all out for Easter with egg colorings (my favorite) and lots of baked goods. For Easter week we always went spring skiing. The snow was still powdery and soft, the sky deep blue, the sun was shining and the temperatures were warm enough to hit the slopes in a T-shirt. And we always ended up with the typical spring skiing tan lines. Badges of honor! The honor of being outdoors and enjoying a sport I love almost as much as running. And one year I had the extra bonus of falling in love with a local, a teenage crush (OK, I cried all the way back to Vienna!) but it made this holidays just a bit more delicious!
To this day I love this time of year. In the desert spring is in the air, the mornings are still cool enough to run comfortably and the evenings are starting to get balmy. The mid day temperatures are warm and the pool is still cool enough to be refreshing. After Easter most of the snowbirds will go back to their northern states and everything starts to slow down, traffic eases and the gym will empty out.
I cannot wait for summer!!!
Today’s Running Tip: Summer races!
Spring is the ideal time to prepare for summer races. Speed work in spring, when temperatures are still on the cool side, will help you develop the strength, speed, and power you will need for summer races.
