Tuesday, March 3, 2026 – Fake it till you make it

Hey Gang!

Huge congrats to our Chilly Half Marathoners! This Sunday in very sub-zero temps we had: Erin, Laura, Samantha, Shauna, Rob Dunne, David Steinberg, Monica and myself all running the half. Great job everyone – that was a fun, cold and challenging day – much better with friends!

I’ve been having “season recap” calls with my varsity athletes over the past few weeks. This age group is interesting because they arrive as teenagers and leave four years (or more) later as adults. And within those four years, ideally a transition takes place. In their first year, the athletes arrive to an established program, and have to figure out how to fit in, perform, show up on time, get their school work done, eat and drink enough at the right times, … Mostly what we expect of these kids in their first year is to adapt and learn. But by their fourth year, we want them to be setting the tone, checking in on others, driving a culture that we want, and leading by example. And it is our job as coaches to get them from A to B. I let them know when the expectations have changed, and we no longer just need them to show up, but we need them to show up with the right attitude. Some of them aren’t sure if they can rise to this role. And to them I say, “fake it till you make it”. I do think this philosophy can apply well to growth situations.

It can be scary to be asked to act confident when you don’t feel it. Or to go into a stressful situation as the one in charge. Or to act like you have it all together when you’re not sure you do. But the only way to get there is to start acting the part. I’ve seen some of these athletes show up for workouts at the end of a stressful school day, just wanting the workout to be over, not excited about putting in the work, and hoping it will be an “easy” one. I get it. We all feel that way sometimes. But unless you learn to tell yourself a different story, I can guarantee that it will be a low energy workout. And that energy is contagious. That’s why I specifically ask our team veterans and captains to show up differently. And the beauty of this, is that in acting out the part for someone else or for the rest of your team, your brain and body start to believe it. In not thinking about themselves and their own worries and challenges, but focusing on the rest of the team, good leaders actually manifest better workouts for themselves as well. I think we’ve all seen this with strong leaders in a variety of areas. We ask “how are they always so positive and confident?” The truth is, they’re not. But they know they have to show up that way, and that in turn transforms them into positive, confident athletes or people. I know these are roles we have to grow into, and it does not come naturally to most people – especially when thrust into new situations. And we don’t all have to be, nor can we all be leaders. But if you find yourself in an environment where you wish someone would change the channel on the mood, energy or outlook in a space, maybe you can fake your own change first, and see what follows. My feeling is that in convincing others, you will actually convince yourself.

Tomorrow we’re back to hills! Guys, I think we are going to have good footing, I can’t believe it.

Let’s do this combo again:

2 long hills, 4 min tempo

1 long, 2 short hills, 4 min tempo

3 short hills, 4 min tempo

If you’re on a down week feel free to pick any 2 of the above. If you’re sore from Chilly, go chill on the tempos.

That is all – see you in the am!

Seanna