I did a 2 mile ows last year and it was a gateway drug. It was beautiful and I felt so free once I got into a rhythm and realized I wasn't going to drown.
This season, I have the opportunity to do a 10k and maybe even a 10 mile swim. I currently swim 11 miles a week and plan to increase that.
One thing I'm concerned about on a longer swim is feeding. I currently eat low carb (50-60g a day, almost exclusively from fruits and veggies) because I like what it does for my brain, energy levels and waistline. I also like not getting pass-out hungry. I understand that this is heresy in the world of swimming, but I was wondering if there is anyone out there who does marathon swims low carb. What do you eat? Do you eat at all?
I have done several 10Ks on just water or a non-sugary electrolyte drink. No problem for me, but (1) I also ate low-carb while training for them, and did most of my training before breakfast; (2) none of those swims was in water colder than 65F; and (3) I finished all of them in 2:40 or faster. If the water had been colder, or the time in the water longer, I would have considered consuming some calories.
This thread on the Marathon Swimmers Forum has a ton of personal stories on exactly this topic. It's not currently active but you might find it informative anyway.
Two things for you...
UCan - it's a superstarch product that keeps your blood sugar levels nice and steady, unlike a lot of sports drinks out there. I've used this stuff exclusively for liquid calories in any race 10K and above. It's a tad chalky, but you get used to it. Try a few packets while training to see how they work with your belly. You may be able to find them at a running/tri store www.generationucan.com/
As I was training for Suck last year, I ran across Huma gels. They taste good and are more natural than a lot of the gels. https://humagel.com/
I've done several 10Ks on just water and I'm really slow, all were over 4 hours. The last one, I had a gel in my suit but
never ate it. I also trained in the morning before breakfast, though I'm not on a low carb diet.
Last year I converted to real food on my longer swims and I love it. Blended sweet potatoes, tart apricots and maple syrup is my favorite but I've tried a few others: PB&J sandwich quarters, applesauce with cooked oats. I'll continue to experiment next year when I start training again.
I've done all my marathon swims on LCHF since 2015. My "feeds" are little sausages or pepperonis, and maybe some Justin's pb packets. For Suck last year I did the pepperonis, babybel cheeses (those little red-paper covered circles), and Justins. I've never done any of those carb drinks as my belly can't handle them. And I've tried UCan, but same result re: stomach. For liquids I use water and Crystal Light to add non-cal flavor. I spike one of my Crystal Light bottles with the equivalent of 1200mg of children's ibuprofen so when I start to feel the shoulders/back/elbow/whatever, I drink that bottle over 2-3 feeds (every 30 min).
Good luck!
I've done all my marathon swims on LCHF since 2015. My "feeds" are little sausages or pepperonis, and maybe some Justin's pb packets. For Suck last year I did the pepperonis, babybel cheeses (those little red-paper covered circles), and Justins. I've never done any of those carb drinks as my belly can't handle them. And I've tried UCan, but same result re: stomach. For liquids I use water and Crystal Light to add non-cal flavor. I spike one of my Crystal Light bottles with the equivalent of 1200mg of children's ibuprofen so when I start to feel the shoulders/back/elbow/whatever, I drink that bottle over 2-3 feeds (every 30 min).
Good luck!
Cool! I love the idea of sausage lol. Maybe the prosciutto wrapped mozzarella sticks would be good. The idea of putting drugs in your water is really good. I can get headaches in cold water. Maybe I should have caffeinated feeds too.
2:40 or less is amazing. I definitely plan to be fat adapted during training, but I'd be thrilled to finish in 3 hours, and 3:30 is more realistic. Perhaps I'll try some long swims before breakfast and see how I do.
2:40 or less is amazing. I definitely plan to be fat adapted during training, but I'd be thrilled to finish in 3 hours, and 3:30 is more realistic. Perhaps I'll try some long swims before breakfast and see how I do.
Thank you, although I rarely have been fastest in my age/sex group. Anyway, you'll need to do some long swims to train for a longer event and those will give you plenty of opportunity to try out different ideas for eating and drinking. Enjoy!
Maybe I should have caffeinated feeds too.
One of the Crystal Lights I used (grape) was caffeinated. I need that as I'm a regular diet soda drinker, and when I don't have it I get bad headaches.
I also always have a soda with my feeds. I open the cap the day before to let it get mostly flat. I have this soda ready in case the ibuprofen is not taking care of the head; I've found that if I use a "fresh" soda, the carbonation bugs me and I get hiccups, thus needing a flat one.
