Betrayal is Complicated

Lance confesses to Oprah.

I didn't watch the complete interview that Oprah did with Lance Armstrong.  I watched part of it on Thursday, but I was too tired on Friday.  I have been spending the morning catching up on snippets of the interview.  This article from NPR immediately caught my attention because it is exactly what I was thinking yesterday: What does he tell his kids?   How can he live with lying to his children about such a  major part of his identity?

Lance Armstrong Talks about His Kids


This summer I watched a series of interviews between Lance and Kristin Armstrong on the Runner's World and Running Times webpage.  One impression I took from those interviews was, "Gee.  He's a real jerk."  I looked at those interviews again this morning, and what I see is a man who was so driven to win that he alienated his wife.  I see a woman who is so strong that she is able to protect her kids from this media feeding frenzy caused by a very selfish man.  I see a woman who has the grace to have a series of conversations with the father of her children about strength and the joy of running, and she knew he was a cheater.  Here is a segment where he discusses their children:

Lance Talks with Kristin Armstrong about His Kids

In a different interview, Kristin says that running makes her feel "clean," which is how I feel after a good run, although I like the word "cleansed" better since it implies catharsis.  She asks Lance how he feels about running, and he says he only feels "clean" after a bike ride.  Ironic?

Lastly, my heart goes out to Kristin Armstrong, and I want to say that I admire her fortitude.  This next link is her blog, which addresses the idea of trying to achieve "NORMAL" during this time, and how running fits in with comfort and normality.

Kristin Armstrong's Running Blog