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Wild swimming.

Interesting post! I (59 yrs., DM1 since 2004, 183 cm, 87 kg, MDI) took up triathlon sprint in 2022 and Olympic triathlon this year in Norway - water temperatures between 14 and 16°C.
I practice carbo hydrate loading (150 g muesli, 9 IU Novorapid) 30 min before swimming 750 m (Sprint) or 1.5 km (Olympic).
Glucose when coming out 6 to 14 mmol/l as measured by Abbot Libre 3 CGM.
To me the most important thing is staying warm. I always swim with a wetsuit.
Abbot Libre 1 and 2 use NFC for scanning, which works under water. Libre 3 uses BT. BT does not work under water, but you may hold up your arm and your phone while treading water. I have not tried yet.
 
I do carry GU Gels with me now, I shove them into my swimsuit inside a plastic baggie. You don't need the plastic baggie, it's just an easy return for me if I half use one or the empty pack and my suit doesn't get messy. It's a nice thicker paste so it's easy to squirt some or all into your mouth when you are swimming in the ocean. The GU gels have a huge selection of flavors that taste good, have electrolytes and are 25 carbs each. They have some with caffeine too. The only ones I don't recommend with ocean swimming are the salted caramel as when you are already in salt water, yuk.....
 
I experimented with all kinds of high energy foods, drinks and gels. I suffer from chronic gingivitis which I keep under control by an intensive tooth cleaning protocol... 1 package og gel have me intense tooth ache for 24 hours. Don't try gel in the middle of the lake for the first time!
 
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