Training for an open water swim

What distance? How far can you swim right now, and what is your current training regimen?

troutgulch wrote: »

I swim 1/2 mi of crawl daily, but I know I can do more. I am interested in trying a mile swim.

1/2 mile, is that open water? 25m pool? 50m pool? Is it continuous or with breaks?

In an open water swim, you should look up every 5 to 8 strokes as an amateur, to aim yourself for the next bouy, to make your next turn. Otherwise you may end up swimming farther than you planned due to going off course.

You'll probably want to build your milage up to at least triple what you are doing right now, to make up for the increased difficulty of swimming in open water, plus the fatigue factor of no pausing on walls. You're also going to want to be able to do that distance without stopping at all.

I can enthusiastically recommend the "Total Immersion" program from Terry Laughlin. It teaches you how to swim more efficiently so you aren't fighting the water. You can buy DVDs or go to workshops (I did both). I went from barely able to do a lap without dying to being able to cross the pool in ~14 strokes and feel like I just walked across the room.
I never did their open-water program, but I know they have one.