You're not reading very carefully, I'm afraid. I run a singlespeed, and hence am condemned (blessed with?) to mash uphills.
I understand that you are riding singlespeed, and that you're riding 3/32" (which is road stuff) on it. The question then becomes "Why are top road racers riders not having to replace their chainrings every few months?" The argument that top road racers don't "mash" is, as a rule, incorrect, so there must be something else going on. Again, it's not that I disbelieve you, it's just that our experiences are so wildly different that I wonder what's going on.
Any chance in your time, the chainrings were mostly steel and not aluminum? That might explain your happy memories.
I'm not
that old, mate!