Vineeta Singh, Co-Founder and CEO of SUGAR Cosmetics, who is seen among the panel of judges on the television show Shark Tank India 2 is not only an entrepreneur but also an athlete who has participated in several marathons and triathlons. Recently, she participated in a triathlon but found it challenging as she had a panic attack, but the entrepreneur was able to participate in the race.
Taking to her official Instagram handle, she shared her experience and wrote, “I FINISHED LAST. I’ve always struggled with swimming, and unfortunately, all triathlons begin with open-water swims.Last weekendās Shivaji Triathlon was one of my hardest ever. A windy, choppy lake resulted in a panic attack that lasted almost an hour! In spite of all the pep talks from Sham and Kaushik, I couldnāt breathe, so I asked them to carry on. got on the rescue boat & decided to quit. The idea of quitting was painful, but Shivaji Lake looked like the kind of beast I had no courage to tackle that morning.
She explained how she survived and how she continued her task, she wrote, “As I sat shivering on the boat, I saw an incredible 9-year-old brave her way through the waves. Although I was ready to throw in the towel and make peace with itāthis wasnāt a critical race, I hadnāt trained much, so it was OK to head back to my children, tell them mama needed to train harder in open water and try again next time. But was I ready to get my first DNF? Unlike most triathlons, this one didnāt have a timing cutoff, so what was my excuse? What would it take to somehow stop the negative train of thought & slowly paddle my way through the 1 km?
She added, And just like that, I jumped back in. I paddled a bit, tried floating on my back, tried a couple of strokes, then went back to the rescue rope. I repeated this a few hundred times. What normally takes me less than 39 minutes took me 1.5 hours.As I finally got out of the water, I looked back, and I was absolutely the last one out (much to the relief of the Navy rescue crew). I threw up all that lake water Iād drunk and just sat down for a few minutes before getting on with the bike and running legs. I had to savour the moment Iād visualised for the last 30 minutes. Also, my knees were still wobbly.
In her note, she also explained her children’s reaction, saying, “Looking back, during this race, I wasnāt mentally as strong as I couldāve been.” Mental strength, like other muscles, needs regular training. The visualizing, the breathing work, and the positive thinking couldāve started earlier, but one learns more on tough days, and Iām grateful. While most people had finished the race by 10:30 am, I was still finishing my run at 12:20, and yet there were 100 Navy soldiers cheering in the heat. God bless the whole unit at INS Shivaji ? I came back and told my children, “Mama finished last today, but mama didnāt quit.”
Many people took her post on social media as inspiration and praised the judge.
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