Monday, January 17, 2011

How to avoid bonking for a super long swim

In preparation for this summer's GSL 6 day staged swim.  I started looking for information on what to eat during the 6 day swim.  I found this great article and I think I'll need to do more research on what EXACTLY I'll pack and plan to eat for the week.  I'll need to plan on taking plenty of carbs and eating up to 7,000 calories a day.  Dave Shearer warned me especially of the need for hydration.  He told me many times that the salt water actually pulls the water out of my skin so I'll need to hydrate much more in order to keep the fresh water inside me.

I can't think of a tougher endurance sport than cyclists who bike for 8 hours a day for weeks.  If I can get a clue of what they do to keep their energy bank filled, and follow it, I should be much more prepared.  So I sent an email to Jared Eborn who is probably the best resource I know personally for advice on this issue. I really need to have a plan for this event and be confident that my food choices and quantities will fuel me for the entire length of the swim.  I would really hate to bonk 4 days into it.

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