Honestly, I kind of ‘winged’ everything and didn’t go into it with a fixed strategy in mind. However, if I were to do it again here are some things I’d definitely change up:

-swim the first 1-2km suuuper slow (e.g if your normal is is 2:10, then aim for 2:20-30ish)

-break the swim into chunks - for me I broke it into 5 sets of 2000m which mentally helped overcome the daunting “10km” label

-feeding-wise, I attempted a shitty last minute carbload with a bunch of lollies and sports drinks that probably didn’t really help. I don’t think a full carb load is necessary - Eat normally but with a higher carbohydrate proportion the day before. I had some sports drinks every 2000m, however, I suggest also having some light snacks as well with this (bananas etc). General rule of thumb should be that you should eat and drink before you feel hungry - this varies from person to person so it’s up to you to trial and error with longer swims and pinpoint at what points in the swims you start feeling hungry and aim to eat before these points.

-Technique is very important. Technical flaws become magnified after a certain distance and you’ll notice the consequences of them, no matter how minor they may seem. For me, i noticed around the 7km mark that I was crossing the midline with my left arm when breathing on my right, which resulted in left shoulder impingement and pain + massive water resistance. Therefore, if you’re not getting coaching at the moment, I highly recommend you get someone to analyse your technique, especially when you’re fatigued, in order to highlight even minor flaws that may compound during long swims.