I am far from a world-class endurance athlete, but I have been racing in endurance events for more than 30 years. In fact, I just completed the Los Angeles Marathon, my 101st marathon. I’m 53 years old, and I finished the race in 4 hours and 48 minutes.
Admittedly, I’m no world-class athlete, but those are few and far between. I have been doing this for a while, so I believe the information I'm going to present will appeal to manufacturers looking for ideas and any athletes hungering for an edge.
To last as long as I have in a rigorous sport, I’ve put in a lot of work and preparation. Supplements—big surprise, right?—have helped elevate my performance. I use a dietary supplement combination I created called “Power Packs.” Taken prior and during an event, these Power Packs include:
CoQ10 (ubiquinol): Ubiquinol is the reduced form of CoQ10 and the most highly absorbed form of CoQ10. Ubiquinol is directly used in human metabolism as a lipid-soluble antioxidant. While standard CoQ10 (ubiquinone) supplements can be converted into ubiquinol in the body, this conversion can be less efficient in some individuals, based on age, genetics, blood sugar status, or level of oxidative stress. At my age, it is essential that my CoQ10 be ubiquinol.
Fish Oil: For my endurance racing needs, the healthy fats found in fish oil increases energy levels and fights inflammation. The most beneficial form of omega-3 containing two fatty acids – EPA and DHA – can be found only in fish. EPA and DHA are essential in preventing and fighting both physical and mental illness. Be sure to take fish oil products from companies that follow strict procedures to eliminate environmental contaminants to assure the highest purity of its fish oil supplements.
Glycine Propionyl L-Carnitine (GPLC): Backed by years of scientific research, GPLC has been shown to assist the body in a number of ways including:
--Energy: GPLC increases nitric oxide levels in the human blood stream resulting in the optimization of endurance, stamina ,and recovery. GPLC (1) assists the delivery of oxygen and nutrients through vasodilation, (2) encourages blood flow, and (3) helps the production of ATP energy while diminishing harmful free radical buildup in the body.
--Recovery: Through its antioxidant properties, GPLC aids in muscle recovery by not only speeding up post workout recovery, but also recovery time during training. This helps increase both endurance and stamina.
--Cardiovascular Health: Studies show that GPLC increases nitric oxide retention, which is important to the regulation of blood circulation while improving the vasodilatory ability (increased blood flow capability) of blood vessels.
Green Tea: It contains caffeine as well as other nutrients that stimulate the heart and central nervous system, including theobromine.
Ribose: High-intensity exercise means different things to different people. Simply put, it means stressing muscles beyond their normal limit. Regardless of how we individually define high-intensity (in this case, endurance events), the effect on our bodies is the same. Intense exertion taxes our muscles to stay energized. The resulting energy demand/supply mismatch leads to a drain in energy, depleting the cellular energy pool. This loss of cellular energy is a disaster because re-supplying this energy is slow and metabolically costly. Ribose accentuates the body’s natural process of energy synthesis. It helps to reduce the loss of energy during stress and accelerates energy and tissue recovery. Through this action, ribose helps muscles regenerate lost energy and minimizes any physiological consequences when energy is depleted. For these reasons, ribose is perfect as part of my Power Packs.