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What does not work, are the big massive inflatables that you can\u2019t really get into easily, or the ones with outside pockets, where you risk littering and losing your stuff. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Secondly, you need enough food and drink to last the duration in the water. There\u2019s nothing worse than under-fuelling, bonking and having another hour to go. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I find what works best is to eat at least 80 grams of carbs and ideally drink about 400mls per hour. Of course, you can do more or less, or whatever you are used to, but this is what works for me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I suggest gels, as no matter what you try, things end up getting wet or soggy. You might be tempted to take sweets, like gummy bears, but as soon as water gets on the inside it\u2019s a sticky nasty mess. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You want everything clean and organised. No clingfilm, no ziplock bags. Gels also allow you to track the grams of carbs (if you are targeting a specific amount).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, if I am swimming about 2hrs30. I use gels with 40g carbs. So, I take a gel when I start, then I take a big one every 30 mins at: 0h, 30mins, 1hr, 1hr30 and 2hr (sometimes I\u2019ll even have a small one at 2hr15). This is 5-6 gels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Having so many gels in your swim buoy is not that straightforward, wrappers get muddled up with unopened gels, and you spend time rummaging around trying to find them in the buoy and make a mess of things. Hence, you need a system. Importantly, you never want to litter.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My system is to have an empty bottle that I use as a bin. Around it I have all the gels attached with an elastic band. I\u2019m not saying this is the only way of doing it, but the best ones are the thick elastic bands that you get around asparagus. They are strong enough and the right size for a bottle. The set-up looks like this:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you consume each gel, you then put the wrapper on the inside. Believe me, this is a game changer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Se necess\u00e1rio, e se voc\u00ea estiver nadando com outras pessoas menos organizadas, tamb\u00e9m pode usar como lixeira para as embalagens de todo mundo. Voc\u00ea nunca quer que o lixo v\u00e1 parar no mar. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Thirdly, you need to drink. Since you don\u2019t need to make toilet stops as you would if running or on the bike, I think it\u2019s good to have as much liquid as possible \u2013 ideally with electrolytes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I find if you down a litre or more right before you enter the water, it more or less covers your first hour (also good: multiple coffees and an a\u00e7ai). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Then you just need another bottle for the next hour etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You have a few options. There are three options that I think work best. Firstly, one hard bottle.\u00a0 You only have space for one of these though, and don\u2019t be tempted to replace the \u2018gel bin\u2019. Second, you can put some of those soft flasks along the side. These work well for a bit more capacity. Finally, you can consider a camelbak bladder on the base of the swim buoy.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n All of this will add weight, so you need to make sure the swim buoy is at a length that it isn\u2019t interfering with your swimming. I.e. not bashing into your legs etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you do this, you can then look down on your swimming counterparts and scoff as needed as they fill their swimming buoys with all sorts in a disorderly mess. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can thank me later! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ricard Horne<\/strong><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u00a0Eu gosto de nadar longas dist\u00e2ncias nos treinos.\u00a0Para min,\u00a0entre 2h30 e 3h\u00a0\u00e9\u00a0o tempo\u00a0perfeito.\u00a0 Acredito que encontrei a configura\u00e7\u00e3o ideal para nadar com autonomia em rela\u00e7\u00e3o \u00e0 nutri\u00e7\u00e3o (ou seja, sem apoio de caiaque ou barco). Para ser sincero, prefiro fazer assim, mesmo quando h\u00e1 apoio. Depois de impor meus conselhos n\u00e3o solicitados aos meus parceiros de … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/clube-swim4fun.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-11.png\")
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This is the bog standard. It stands next to your \u2018gel bin\u2019, as shown below.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/clube-swim4fun.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-10.png\")
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