Recorded in January. Published in June. Because apparently editing podcasts is harder than running marathons.

This forgotten episode of How the F*CK Did We Become Runners? finds Ange and Robert setting ambitious goals for 2026 and confidently discussing what the year ahead will look like. Which is funny now, because life immediately laughed in their faces.

The longtime friends are still runners, but their paths are diverging. One is chasing bigger races and faster times. The other is about to get introduced to the joys of injury, a winter that seemed determined to never end, and the humbling realization that sometimes the goal is simply getting back to the starting line.

Think of this as a time capsule from a simpler era—back when January optimism was still undefeated and Ange thought she'd actually release this episode on schedule.

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.

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