How the F**** Did we become runners? cover art

How the F**** Did we become runners?

How the F**** Did we become runners?

By: Angela Anderson Connolly
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Meet Robert and Ange —two longtime friends who thought "cardio" was a four-letter word until their 50s, when they realized age was more than a number; it was a reality, and they needed to do something to get more out of it. Now? They’re runners - even they are shocked at that sentence. Join them as they dish out brutally honest, occasionally helpful advice about how they stumbled into running (literally), what keeps them lacing up their shoes, and why logging miles together has become the weirdest, most wonderful part of their friendship. Expect laughs, hot takes on chafing, zero patience for toxic fitness culture, and more than a few gasps for breath. This isn’t about marathons—it’s about moving forward, one sarcastic step at a time.

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Episodes
  • Post-Marathon Blues & Paris Brags
    Dec 9 2025

    In this episode of How the F&^%$ Did We Become Runners, Robert and Ange officially enter the emotional hangover portion of marathon life — you know, the part no one warns you about. The finish line confetti has settled, the medals are collecting dust, and suddenly there’s… no plan? No spreadsheet? No coach yelling “hydrate”? Just two former Dublin Marathon legends spiraling because the glory days of training are over.

    Robert copes by casually dropping (every five minutes) that he went to Paris and ran seven miles there — did he mention he went to Paris? Paris? Meanwhile, Ange took a week off to rediscover what “rest” feels like and is easing back into running like a responsible adult, which frankly feels rude.

    Together, they wade through the sadness, the weird aimlessness, and the uncomfortable truth: nobody talks about the gaping void that appears after a marathon. The hype train stops, the adrenaline dies, and you’re left asking, “Now what the fuck do we do?”

    Spoiler: they don’t know. But they’re going to complain about it — and maybe laugh through it — with you.

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    16 mins
  • Team Joyce: Walking, Healing, and Inspiring the Miles Ahead
    Dec 2 2025

    Season 2 is all about what’s next — and the people who shoved, guided, or lovingly bullied us into becoming runners.

    This week, Robert and Ange sit down with Joyce Connery: breast cancer survivor, global security powerhouse, and Robert’s friend of nearly 40 years. Joyce opens up about her journey, the origins of Team Joyce, and what the Susan G. Komen Walk has meant to her and to the many survivors who look to her as proof that strength can look tender, gritty, and sometimes very pink.

    She shares how those early miles helped her heal — and how her resilience inspired not just Robert’s eventual leap into marathon madness, but countless others walking their own post-diagnosis roads. It’s honest, warm, slightly chaotic, and full of the kind of real talk only friends can deliver.

    You can donate to Team Joyce through the link below:

    https://www.the3day.org/site/TR/2025/20253Day?team_id=283481&pg=team&fr_id=2323

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    28 mins
  • Finish Line? Found It. Guinness? Still Missing
    Nov 18 2025

    In this nostalgia-soaked fever dream of an episode, Robert and Ange rewind to the moment they—purely by accident—became marathoners in Dublin. Yes, Dublin, because nothing says “excellent life choices” like flying across an ocean to run 26.2 miles while jet-lagged, overwhelmed, and committed to a trip that felt like The Amazing Race meets EuroTrip meets a group vacation nobody fully signed up for.

    They relive the highs (the Irish were dangerously charming, the vibes were immaculate) and the lows (someone’s back staged a full walkout at mile 23). And of course, the ultimate betrayal: that promised Guinness on the course? Never happened. Not a drop. Not even a pity splash. Just electrolytes and crushed dreams.

    Meanwhile, Ange kept Scott running and dancing at the same time whenever music drifted through the streets—because why choose between marathoner and pop-star-on-tour when you can be both?

    Despite the chaos, the back pain, and the Guinness disappointment, the two of them powered through, crossed the finish line, and each grabbed a medal like absolute champions.

    And here’s the wholesome twist: the entire ridiculous, unhinged adventure actually made Robert and Ange even better friends.

    Tune in for laughter, chaos, questionable life choices, back pain, spontaneous dance breaks, and the warm glow of two friends who survived 26.2 miles—and somehow came out closer (and snarkier) than ever.

    For details on the Marathon Trip Planner, check out https://www.activeodysseys.com/

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    19 mins
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