Previous 2050 Climate Group staff member, Rosie Watson is running from the UK to Mongolia. Yes, Mongolia! In this Q&A shaped blog, she answers our burning questions about her trip so far as she searches for stories of better ways of living in the climate crisis.

Running mostly-solo & unsupported, across Europe and Asia, Rosie is searching for and telling stories of better ways of living, working and meeting our needs in the climate crisis. She set off from the UK on 17th August 2019 and has been on the road/trails ever since. This interview took place during Spring 2020, when Rosie had been stalled in Kosovo as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rosie participated as a speaker in the final (digital!) module of our Young Leaders Development Programme 2019-20.

You've met with many people on your travels, what common themes and thoughts on climate change have you found?

Different ones in different countries which is interesting. Croatia was primarily about waste, people talked about recycling a lot - initially I found this frustrating. People were more focused on impacts seen around them, as opposed to talking about emissions. But they had a great, almost fierce determination which gave me a lot of hope.

Netherlands was interesting and my impression was almost the opposite - it seemed all about the government, and trusting them to fix things. Everything was so efficient that it almost felt a bit TOO ingrained, like there wasn't much 'fire' or passion in people taking matters into their own hands. One woman said it felt kind of like everyone was in denial and sleeping walking into the apocalypse, as considering so much of the country is under sea level, she said barely anyone was talking about what this would mean for the future, almost like that was a controversial topic.

One key theme everywhere has been people hoping/aiming for a mindset change - From 'what's the point, x isn't doing it', to 'I will be the change'.

What are your three top tips for long distance running?

I got carried away and wrote five…

Training - practise running with a rucksack (gradually make it heavier and heavier) on consecutive days. You change the whole biomechanics when carrying something heavy so this is essential! The thing that feels the impact most is your feet and there's no better way to strengthen them than this.
Stretch as much as you can - add little in breaks throughout the day, and more at the end of the day. If it's dry, you can also lie with your legs up a tree for 10-15 mins. Sounds obvious but it's easy to neglect, and is SO important.
Eat well throughout the day (I eat & rest a bit every two hours), foods dense in both nutrients and calories - plus enough protein. 'Proper food' is good, and it's best to not rely on sugar too much (easier said than done…).
Using poles up hills keeps your posture good and helps your feet and back along.
Sleep sleep sleep sleep - it solves all things, including emotional. Going to bed at 7pm? Totally fine. But do try to keep the same pattern of when you wake up, to look after your body clock (much better quality rest).

What’s been your favourite place to run?

Croatia. Beautiful mountains, beautiful sea, continuous trails and lots of free, unlocked mountain shelters! Plus warm and generous people (but that is the same everywhere…).

How are your feet?

OK! It rained for two weeks solidly in Germany (so I had wet feet every day), and I thought I was getting trench foot, but it was fine in the end.

Doing this without a support crew must be tough, how do you manage the logistics such as kit, nutrition and accommodation?

Yes, lots of admin - balancing this and running is the hardest challenge. Kit and nutrition is the easy bit. I don't find the 'on the ground' stuff that hard, but the research (of the route, projects, emailing, planning where to stay, when I will get to certain places, where shops are for food, etc), and communication (making blogs from conversations, getting them on the website, sorting out my photos, social media posts etc) is very time consuming. I do it all on my phone so it is slow. When I have website issues my parents help which is nice!

Has wild swimming gotten easier with practice or harder with dropping temperatures?

It’s always easier the more you do it! Croatia was so warm that I have gone soft I think. In Scotland I used to really REALLY notice the difference if I missed a week after going regularly for a while.

How do you find the balance between being on your own for ages and with interacting with people?

It's definitely easier now that Mike is here (Mike Elm, another 2050 Climate Group volunteer, is occasionally joining Rosie through his own trip - #NewStoryRide) - there is less of a psychological challenge when you know you're heading towards meeting someone you know. Generally I'm pretty happy in my own company though (in fact, often need this time alone!), but it can be hard if you get in a negative cycle in your head - it just goes round and round. Then, I try and interact with someone to shift it, even if it's just asking for water and having a little exchange, it can help shake up your mindset. But generally I really enjoy the space to just relax my mind - it helps me to think deeply about things - important for climate crisis issues! Arriving in a city is always a jarring experience. But meeting people along the way is always amazing.

Have there been any language barrier issues? Has she found it easy to connect with people without a common language, or even just through broken English?

I have spent whole, amazing evenings with people who've spoken no English, and only occasionally needed Google translate. Others it's impossible - some people are just more comfortable with/better at non verbal communication! But generally so far lots have spoken English - it will be much harder further on - I REALLY need to learn some Russian!

What food/drink are you missing most?

Vegetables! Properly healthy, vegetarian meals, the type where you have lots of different things on your plate. And, proper homemade British puddings e.g. Crumble and custard.

Are there any extra measures you needed to make as a solo female adventurer?

So far no, I have felt safer than I might just walking around some UK cities, or on a night out! All good experiences.

What’s the weirdest place you’ve slept at/taken shelter in?

Nothing super weird! I've slept on a few benches outside of closed summer lodges in Alps. I've slept in three Chapels/churches. And there have been lots of sloped tent situations where I've gradually slid downhill during the night.

What do you hope the legacy of this trip is going to be? Are you focusing on this year or is it a long term thing?

It will take two years I think, at least. I'm continuously thinking of how to maximise the impact of the trip and how best to do that - feedback or thoughts on this greatly appreciated!

But, I might write a book as part of that… I also plan to make a film (albeit not a super great quality one). And I'd like to somehow continue in the area of combining activism and adventure in a long term way, definitely, if I can find a way to make finances work.

What have been the most valuable/fulfilling/toughest aspects of the trip so far?

Most valuable: My main concern before starting was 'what if I don't enjoy it and want to come back in 3 weeks'. But thankfully it's the best thing I've done with my life so far. I've definitely had the realisation that office focused work isn't what makes me feel alive, regardless of how interesting I do find it. I already kind of knew this, but this has really confirmed it, so I now need to work out how to make my future career in line with this!

Toughest: At the start, some of the solitude was getting to me, and I've only realised looking back on it. I was interacting with people less - since I started asking for more help e.g. For water, where to camp etc, that hasn't been a problem. The Alps was super tough as I was stuck on roads due to a big snow dump, which was both mentally and physically horrible.

Do you feel that this trip will completely change how you live life if you do return to 'normality' whatever 'normality' may be?

Yes, absolutely, like I said above. The feeling I get in the mountains is indescribable, better than anything else, and so why wouldn't I dedicate how I live my life to that? I can't see myself doing more office work.

You can follow Rosie’s incredible journey on her website and social media accounts:

Website: newstoryrun.wordpress.com

Instagram: @rosiewats

Twitter: @r_birdshouts

Facebook page: https://m.facebook.com/pages/category/Athlete/Rosie-Watson-The-New-Story-Run-101426237874856/

Q&A with Young Leader, Rosie Watson, on the #NewStoryRun