He's Been Swimming Daily for Five Years and Counting
Peter is known by some at Embarcadero YMCA as “Peter 2K.” That stands for Peter and the two-thousand yards he swims. Every Day. Peter hasn’t missed a swim in five years.
What started more than five years ago was Peter’s observation that swimming helped him face life’s daily stresses. Swimming helped him with his overall physical health and fighting the common bugs and respiratory issues of his environments.
“I decided around ten years ago I wanted to see how long I could swim daily without interruption. After a short interruption five years ago, here I am.”
Finding the Right Pool
Before the Y, he was swimming at city pools around San Francisco. He swam at the public pools at Balboa, North Beach, Garfield, and Hamilton to name a few. But it was hard, because each day, each pool had a different schedule.
“Sometimes I’d show up in my towel and my swimsuit and the pool would be closed for some special reason. I needed a place where I could lap swim no matter what.”
That’s where the Y came in.
Peter joined the YMCA of San Francisco in 1987.
Peter Says about Swimming at the Y:
“What I like about my Y membership is there are always the same expectations when you get to the pool. Lap swimmers also understand etiquette, like circle swimming or splitting the lane. People respect each other; they let you pass depending on your speed. There’s something that’s just really comfortable about swimming at the Y. There’s an assumption of ‘we’re all in this together.’”
Swimming at Embarcadero YMCA
When Peter had to switch Y’s to be closer to his job and public transportation, he was wary of joining Embarcadero YMCA. He was concerned that the FiDi adults would be more uptight, but what he found instead was a friendly group of members who love working out just like him. The last ten years at Peter’s job working for the city’s transportation department, he typically wouldn’t get home until 10:30 pm. Meetings were intense, and the stress was brutal. Peter started to notice that his daily runs and swims before or after work allowed him to leave his stress behind.
“I think there is something zen-like about floating in the water,” reflects Peter.
“The only color you see is this blue-green, and the only sound you hear is the water rushing by. It’s like this intense spa-like experience. I have so many epiphanies in the pool, and so many “ah-ha” moments that I solve in the pool. Then when I get out, I feel great, and hungry (which I love). Every part of my body works after a swim and a run. Swimming is my stress relief.”
Peter 2K
The Y is a big part of Peter’s life. This focused dedication to lap swim every day is enhanced by the members and staff of the YMCA’s of San Francisco.
“I’m a happy person, so I believe the Y is a big part of that. If you do something daily for that long and you still feel good about life, clearly the Y is part of the equation!”
-Peter Albert, Member since 1987
