swimming for fat and injured runners (lots of questions)

I also really like doing sub-threshold and vo2max workouts and would absolutely love to do them everyday. The thing is, I have never swam other than recreationally in my life. I don't know the strokes or techniques at all. Does this sound like swimming would be a good candidate sport for me? Anyone is a good candidate for swimming! Where do you live? You will do much, much better if you can find a Masters group to train with, or at least someone to give you some stroke instruction. Can I swim 6-7 days per week (after acclimatizing myself to it)? Can I do hard work every day? Is it like running/cycling where you have to do lots of base miles first? Once you're in shape I suppose you could swim every day. To avoid repetitive-use injuries, many swimmers swim every other day, and do alternative activities on their "off" days. What kind of supplementary exercises make a good swimmer? I've never set foot in a gym in my life, and like a true runner, I have pitiful upper body strength. Can I get all of that from swimming, or do I need to start weights too? You will build upper body strength from swimming, but many swimmers lift weights, too. I am used to training with a Heart Rate Monitor, can they be used for swimming, or is there a better way to train? Yes, you can use your HR monitor. I sometimes swim with mine. A lot of men have problems keeping them on, though, because they want to slide down when you push off the wall. Women can wear them underneath their swimsuits and it doesn't seem to be as much of a problem. I am 6'5" with a HUGE frame. This is somewhat of a disadvantage running, how will it effect my swimming? Not that much. There is a guy on my team right now who is about 6'4" and weighs 320 pounds. It doesn't seem to bother him too much. (It bothers me, though, if I'm in a lane next to him because of the waves he creates! I'm 5'1" and 107 pounds.) Any good books on the subject for beginners? I've heard that Emmett Hines' book is pretty good. I can't remember the title. Can I just show up to a masters class in jammers and goggles, or do I need to do anything to prepare beforehand? I usually tell new swimmers that they won't get much out of a Masters workout unless they are already able to swim 500 yards or so (even with poor technique). In my opinion you need at least that much endurance to be able to receive any sort of stroke instruction. There are several short course pools which have masters classes in my area, I can't seem to find a long course pool though. Will a SC one be OK? I am by no means interested in becoming a sprinter. Yes, a SC pool would be better for a beginner, anyway. More walls to hang onto.

I also really like doing sub-threshold and vo2max workouts and would absolutely love to do them everyday. The thing is, I have never swam other than recreationally in my life. I don't know the strokes or techniques at all. Does this sound like swimming would be a good candidate sport for me? Anyone is a good candidate for swimming! Where do you live? You will do much, much better if you can find a Masters group to train with, or at least someone to give you some stroke instruction. Can I swim 6-7 days per week (after acclimatizing myself to it)? Can I do hard work every day? Is it like running/cycling where you have to do lots of base miles first? Once you're in shape I suppose you could swim every day. To avoid repetitive-use injuries, many swimmers swim every other day, and do alternative activities on their "off" days. What kind of supplementary exercises make a good swimmer? I've never set foot in a gym in my life, and like a true runner, I have pitiful upper body strength. Can I get all of that from swimming, or do I need to start weights too? You will build upper body strength from swimming, but many swimmers lift weights, too. I am used to training with a Heart Rate Monitor, can they be used for swimming, or is there a better way to train? Yes, you can use your HR monitor. I sometimes swim with mine. A lot of men have problems keeping them on, though, because they want to slide down when you push off the wall. Women can wear them underneath their swimsuits and it doesn't seem to be as much of a problem. I am 6'5" with a HUGE frame. This is somewhat of a disadvantage running, how will it effect my swimming? Not that much. There is a guy on my team right now who is about 6'4" and weighs 320 pounds. It doesn't seem to bother him too much. (It bothers me, though, if I'm in a lane next to him because of the waves he creates! I'm 5'1" and 107 pounds.) Any good books on the subject for beginners? I've heard that Emmett Hines' book is pretty good. I can't remember the title. Can I just show up to a masters class in jammers and goggles, or do I need to do anything to prepare beforehand? I usually tell new swimmers that they won't get much out of a Masters workout unless they are already able to swim 500 yards or so (even with poor technique). In my opinion you need at least that much endurance to be able to receive any sort of stroke instruction. There are several short course pools which have masters classes in my area, I can't seem to find a long course pool though. Will a SC one be OK? I am by no means interested in becoming a sprinter. Yes, a SC pool would be better for a beginner, anyway. More walls to hang onto.