Are there no true heroes left?

I saw this am that Lance Armstrong is being accused of doping.  Now I have no clue if he did or not, but the state of our athletes is so disappointing.  I think it speaks of the issues our society is facing as we take a sharp turn downhill.  Why are athletes willing to do anything and everything to get an edge?  Do they doubt their own physical abilities that much these days?  And if they are, why?  What has made them so insecure and fearful?  I cannot help but ask these questions of myself not in relation to sports.  After all, I am simply a recreational runner at best, but more in relation to my own life.  Why do I doubt myself so much?  Why am I so insecure?  I was told growing up that in a million different ways that I was not competent or good enough to make my own decision.  Yes, that is what you do when you control someone's life.  You make them afraid of the world.  I am afraid of the world.  But why now, even at 36 with all of the professional and personal accomplishments that I have had do I still feel so insecure and worry so much?  Why do I still not think I am worth it or that my best is good enough.  Are the patterns set so early for all of us?  Is that the trick and once they are set, there is no undoing?  What does that mean for me as a mother and how do I undo all of the mistakes I have already made at a mother?  Likewise, how do I repair my relationship with my husband so that I don't retreat when I feel hurt or threatened.  I would rather boldly charge through life not worrying about how others perceived me and knowing that I am making the right decision.  Do we all fear judgment that much? 
With the Olympics approaching, I am hoping that none of our athletes are doping.  This is the first year that my children are old enough to understand what the Olympics are all about and to maybe be able to root for Team USA.  I want it to be pure.  I want my son or daughter to see the marathoners or gymnasts and think, "Wow, I know I can do that one day.  I would like to try.  Let's go!"  My world was pulled in and made smaller.  I want to make their world bigger because the world is HUGE and filled with a million opportunities and you never get a second chance to be 20 or 25 again.  I know that I will never get a second chance to be 36 again and one more day spent being hurt is just silly when I think about it that way.  Let's be young and wild and free...