Let’s start with what Acta means.
In ancient Roman times, Acta translated to ‘Deed’s, not words’.
It means doing the things you say you’re going to do. To back up words with action.
We believe this is one of the best things you can do to improve your mental well-being. Setting yourself a goal, then proving you can do it.
If you say something out loud, tell people you’re going to do something and then don’t do it, you aren’t letting anyone down. Most people will forget you even said you’d do it, However, you won’t. you will remember all the times you said you would and didn’t.
Conversely, if you say you’re going to do something, then put the work in to get it done. You subconsciously prove to yourself you can do things you don’t want to do. You build confidence in yourself. You give yourself evidence to look back over when things get hard, you show yourself that you are strong enough, you show yourself that you are worth the hard work.
You don’t have to commit to running the length of the country or running the fastest marathon ever, just make some small promises every day and watch them compound into progress.
So how does that relate to Run Club?
Well, we know that not everyone wants to get up early on a Saturday morning to go for a run, in potentially pouring rain or in 40mph winds. But we also know that every single person that says they are going to come, and does, has given themselves one more brick in their wall of confidence, they’ve proved that they can show up for themselves.
We have seen so many people grow in confidence over the past 6 months and witnessed people make huge mental and physical changes. The run is such a tiny part, the growth that happens every week is massive.
Why is this more than just a Run Club?
I think everyone that comes would agree with this statement, Acta run club has become a family. All from different backgrounds, all with different levels of experience. A family that is free of judgment and expectations. A family that keeps growing, in which we hope never stops because we want as many people to experience this amazing community as possible. We look forward to meeting all new members in the future and hearing all about your story’s.
So, more than just running?
This is something I want to speak about personally because it means a lot to me.
It’s something that came up before Acta even started. I was going through a pretty crap time, going through a transition in my life and stepping away from a sport that gave me so much.
A few of us started running as a small group of friends and it quickly became my escape from any stresses and worries I had. I would drive home from the run feeling 10x better than I did before it. I thought maybe it was just me feeling this way, but after a few conversations with the boys it was clear we all felt the same.
We made sure to grab a coffee after every run to catch up and have real conversations. We then started saying that these little meet ups were way more than just running, because they were. They became an outlet, something a lot of people in todays society don’t have.
Because of this we thought after a while we’d open these runs up to everyone. Posted on socials about it and were surprised by 25 people who wanted in on what we had been doing for a while.
We’ve not looked back since, growing every week. Meeting new, amazing people all with different stories and levels of experience.
Our generation in our city don’t have a place to make connections and have real conversations. Run club soon became a place for people to meet new people, learn new things and grow into who they are meant to be.
Acta changed my life, the running is amazing but it always has been and always will be more than just running. It is my outlet, the outlet that allows me to be 100% me and be surrounded by positive people all trying to do their best without worries of others opinions.
So when we say this is more than just a run club, we mean it.
H