Scott Belsky in Why We Should Declare War On Friction:

In most marathons, there are always a few runners that jump to the front of the race at the start and quickly tire. These folks are known as the “rabbits,” and nobody ever takes them seriously even though they appear to be winning the race for a short period of time. The rabbit runs fast but quickly tires.

A truly great marathon runner or cyclist understands the benefits of pacing over the course of a race. Rather than lead, they carefully manage their energy, and even use the other runners in front of them to block the wind and sustain themselves during the race. This practice is called “drafting,” and it involves running a few feet behind a runner to minimize the wind resistance and pace the race.

C’è molto da imparare da questi due brevi paragrafi. Nella vita spesso vogliamo essere primi a tutti i costi, e per farlo ci stanchiamo più degli altri e alla fine perdiamo anche l’entusiasmo. A volte (ma non sempre) è necessario seguire prima di superare.