I am not sure if you are much interested in philosophy but I came across an introductory lecture given outside of an academic context which introduced me to the Japanese term jikaku, which can translate as self-awareness but can also be used to refer to an element of identity in adopting a role.[0]

So in your given example, another way of referring to what you are doing is to say that you are adopting the jikaku of an athlete. In a sense, adopting the role of athlete is more effective because it is ascribing both an outer and inner identity element to yourself.

Perhaps you will be curious. I found it to be an interesting overlap with what you've discovered on your own.

[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJfsMDPcLBc