Do the 26 and 10 share the same route? I.e. , can you go to where they fork and make the decsion there. You've been riding 10 fairly regularly, so I would think you could do 26 if you paced yourself.
Food on ride, I'm like everyone else - I think in terms of ride time - I've had Luna bars melt on me (Nice semi-arid area where I live!) I like the Clif Shot blocks and Sharkies.