I'm looking forward to other's answers but I've worked up swimming endurance just through longer lengths/swim sessions. I use drills to build on form and speed. I read somewhere that to really improve (or not lose ground) with your form and swimming fitness level you should be in the pool no less than 3 times per week. Not sure if that might be really tough for you coupled with your running and biking goals, but it sounds beneficial.

Good Luck!!!

Hi Mama

Have competed in long distance lake races from 1mile to 10.5miles in length....(admittedly coming home in the last half of the finishers...) I would suggest :-


Re:What is the best way to build endurance for swimming? Just to swim more? Like more lengths or certain drills?

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When I am building up for any long distance swimming event, I concentrate on distance first. So my approach has historically been swim more and more lengths until I reach 120% of the open water distance in one session. So... in your case, I would have a target of 0.75 miles in the pool for a 0.6mile open water swim.
(the extra to accommodate for the cold, sighting, unfamilarity, and poor navigation)

Only once I achieved or approached the 0.75 distance in the pool, would I start to work on SPEED drills.

However Technique Drills would be good whilst building distance.... see below.

RE:I noticed that my legs get tired quickly

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I think you make be kicking too hard or too often or both. When swimming front crawl over short distances, its easy to maintain a quick powerful kick. 4-6 kicks per armstroke is a norm.

But kicking quickly and hard on long distance will exhaust you.
Endurance is all about an efficient stroke.

E.G. Over some years, my long distance pace has transformed into only kicking 2 kicks to every 1 arm pull. And to be honest I am merely fluttering my legs and feet rather than kicking hard. I'm using my legs more for balance in the water than for propulsion.

But you could wreck your stroke if you go for a quick transformation, so I would recommend kicking not as powerfully as you normally do.... to start with.

It could also be that your legs and feet are sinking... For long distance ( and any swimming) your body and legs must be as flat on the water surface as possible (for crawl). Sunken legs are a killer for long distance.


It's often said that swimming is a technical sport - long distance is where this becomes sooooo true.
For me, technique is all about :-
Good arm entry into water, stretching out before the "catch"
Being as flat on the water as possible
Kicking from the hips, not from the knees
Floppy-ish ankles.
Rolling with the armstrokes
Flutter kicking for long distance
and great breathing

Therefore I build technique drills into my training... as that is as important as fitness.

Finally, Open Water requries "Sighting"... i.e. a quick look ahead at where you are going.... But that risks dropping your legs and therefore slowing you down.

So when getting close to the event, put in one QUICK peak for every 1 or two lengths in the pool, to get used to maintaining your
stroke whilst sighting.

And at the end of the race on the day..... sight more regularly if you put a spurt of speed on in the last 100 yards.. as you can easily go off course when worrying about speed more than direction in a frantic finish.


Hope I've not been a bore... and good luck in the races....
Mail me if you want any more info based on my experiences and keep us all posted with how it went on the big days!

I was once told by a swimming tutor that once you've got the breathing sorted you'll be able to go on and on without stopping !

Very true!
Technique... :-)

I agree I will be working on technique to improve my endurance along with swimming 2-3 times a week thru this winter

Connie