The Longest Race: Inside the Secret World of Abuse, Doping, and Deception on Nike's Elite Running Team

by Kara Goucher

When I ran well, I felt at one with the universe, that everything in life was going exactly how it should be.

I was still training hard and felt like I was straddling two worlds: one in which I was a powerful athlete in total control of my body, and another in which I felt my body was at war with me.

Sometimes it takes being confronted with a healthy alternative to realize how unhealthy the past was.

Through training, racing, putting one foot in front of the other, I’ve found out how strong a person I truly am. Running has been my source of inspiration, my religious practice, my way of interfacing with the world. It has taught me how to move and how to be in my body. It has nearly killed me. It has saved my life. It’s made me who I am. It’s made me happy. I’m still in love with it. I always will be.