stay out of the red
The past few years I have enjoyed watching the Tour de France. In my opinion, it is one of the most punishing endurance events in the world. Over twenty-one stages, riders in the 2025 Tour covered 2053 miles and climbed over 172,244 feet (that's almost six times the altitude of Mt. Everest). The mountain stages are truly awe inspiring and agonizing to watch.
In cycling, there is a significant advantage to riding with others -- not just for morale, but for pacing and aerodynamics. This becomes extremely difficult in mountain stages with brutal inclines. If they are capable, riders will push the tempo in an effort to "crack" their opponents and leave them on their own to struggle up the climb.
When a rider show signs of distress, their coach will instruct them to find their own pace, and "stay out of the red." This phrase references a rider's instinct to push harder, at an unsustainable pace, in an effort to close gaps. Cyclists who push themselves beyond their capabilities not only put themselves at risk of "cracking," but may cost themselves the physical ability to continue in the tour. In many cases, by slowing down, finding a comfortable tempo, and staying out of the red the rider is able to recover and stay in the race (sometimes even get back with the group).
Life is crazy. We get overwhelmed with work, tasks, activities, news, and the frenetic pace of the world. How often do we metaphorically push ourselves into the red -- trying to maintain an unsustainable pace? Perhaps we could all use a professional cycling coach to remind us to slow down a bit, find our own rhythm, take time to recover, and stay out of the red.
Slow but steady wins the race.