Posted by Cycling Steve on March 19, 1997 at 01:42:24:
In Reply to: Re:Fellow endurance! Show me the money! posted by Animal on March 18, 1997 at 23:56:38:
: Show me the proof! How much have your times come down
: and are you using anything else. What level athlete are
: you? Top 1%? If you're not, we don't care! No offense
: but those of us that are in the top 1% spend the most time
: and money to make the smallest gains. No if you can tell
: me you dropped even 1% of say a 50 minute 40k individual time
: trial (bike) or 10 seconds off a 4K time trial on the track
: or something comparable in your sport then we'll be willing
: to listen! Anarchy in the USA!
In cycling I am involved in the Race Across America (RAAM) which OUTSIDE magazine rated the most difficult endurance event in the world. I didn't say it, they did (but I'm inclined to agree!). In the first race I ever attempted of any distance I qualified for RAAM by finishing second in the RAAM Open West, a 565 mile race from Tuscon, AZ to Flagstaff, AZ and back in 35.5 hours. I have finished RAAM officially twice meaning that I got my ass 3000 miles across the country by bicycle in ten days. In the thirteen plus year history of the race less than 150 different riders have ever finished officially (if you fall 48 hours behind the leader you are DQ'd).I am also the '94 Furnace Creek 508 winner...510.5 miles from Valencia, CA to 29 Palms, CA via Death Valley (with over 30,000 feet of climbing). 510 miles in 31 hours. At the time, I posted the third fastest time to date (the race has been going on since 1989). I have done several other races with pretty good results as well.So perhaps I'm not in the top 1% but I do consider myself a pretty decent athlete. When I moved to Idaho from California I figured I'd better learn to nordic ski since the cycling is pretty much non existant in the winter. This year I have been able to log nearly 1500 kms of skiing (600 more than in the previous year) in the same amount of time and have done races up to 50km which I could not even concieve of doing before (with an avg HR of 160 which is typical in XC skiing races, that's a pretty tough workout). This is the first year I was able to use something like pyruvate and in all honesty I think it has helped. I just haven't been able to use it during cycling because there's still too much damn snow here! No, I don't have the times or statistics, other than what I have mentioned but considering I haven't used anything as consistently I am led to believe that it has helped. Also, I feel that part of the reason my weight and bodyfat are down (I weighed 193 last year, am at 181 this year) is partly, but not certainly not totally, due to the use of pyruvate. I have no vested interest in it so I'm not coming off from the standpoint of a salesman. I am simply saying that I think it's working for me in my chosen activity and I wanted to pass that along to anyone who cared or who had similar interests. I know being an endurance athlete is not atypical of the athletes on this board, but I do spend a fair amount of time in the gym, and I am always interested in what you and others have to say. I've learned a lot about weight training from the ideas posted on this forum (and have also gotten a lot of laughs as well, some of the contributors are f***ing hilarious).I have no axe to grind! So if I make a contribution I am doing it only to participate, not to try and be a "guru" of any sort. Thanks.