MentEveryWord

This is now my third book reading about the Oregon Project and Alberto Salazar. This book should appeal to anyone interested in sports, not just running. The book touches on two many issues in sports but focuses heavily on doping and abuse.

The book opens with an explanation from the coauthor that she reviewed journals and letters, etc. to confirm Kara’s story throughout their writing process. I think this leads to a very interesting retelling which puts Kara back into the frame of mind she was in when she wrote different “PIG” next to a calorie intake in her journal.

Similar to Mary Cain’s book, I see criticism that she was “naive”, intentionally ignoring the doping around her, or lying in the book and partaking in the doping. I think people are missing the mental requirements necessary to be the best in the world at something. Now, Kara Goucher was never the absolute undisputed best at something, she was most certainly in conversations. To be elite at that level, particularly in an individual sport requires an extreme level of singular focus. I can only image the compartmentalization that elite runners are capable of. She may have been somewhat naive. She may have been compartmentalizing what was happening around her. At the end of the day, she had a focus on becoming the best and was going to focus on the things that got her to that goal, not the things that take her away from that.

I recommend this one to everyone. 5 out of 5 stars ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐. And screw Salazar.