Running to the Castle
A podcast for slow, back-of-the-pack, or injury-prone runDisney runners on a journey to running magical miles. Join me, Dr. Ali, as I share the secrets I've gathered as a runner, Doctor of Physical Therapy and coach. You'll learn the exact ways I get my clients to the castle strong without feeling broken or held together with KT tape as they cross the finish line. Dr. Ali and this podcast are lovers of runDisney and are not affiliated with runDisney.
Episodes
In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali tackles one of the most common questions she hears from slow and back-of-the-pack runners: what actually makes you faster: running more, strength training, or speed work?
She breaks down the "gray zone," the frustrating middle ground where runners feel exhausted all the time but never seem to improve, and explains why the right answer depends entirely on where y...
In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali walks through every workout from Week 4 of her Proof of Time half marathon training… the wins, the hard ones, and everything she had to rearrange when life got lifey.
She digs into the "2 minutes per mile slower than race pace" advice that gets passed around constantly online, and explains exactly why it doesn't work for back-of-the-pack and run/walk runn...
In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali explores one of the most common questions she hears from runners: what do you do when life gets in the way of your training schedule?
Dr. Ali shares her personal philosophy that running should fit into your life, not the other way around, and why embracing that mindset is actually what makes training sustainable.
She covers the structure of her recommended ...
In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali takes us inside Week 3 of her Proof of Time half marathon training, a week where life got lifey and the schedule had to bend.
She explores how to triage your workouts when everything piles up, why the order of your training days matters more than you might think, and how building toward a race pace is a long game that requires patience, paced testing, and a will...
In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali breaks down one of the most common assumptions in the run/walk world: that running longer is the key to getting faster.
Using a real question from a Stronger Faster Finisher member preparing for a 10-miler, Dr. Ali walks through the math behind run/walk pacing and reveals four distinct levers every runner can pull to improve their overall pace.
The ep...
In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali walks through every workout and non-workouts of her second week of Proof of Time half marathon training.
From navigating a low blood pressure episode that threw off her early week, to a brutal hill workout that ended with her on the kitchen floor eating spoonfuls of maple syrup, to a Friday long run that finally clicked, she shares the full picture of what train...
In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali redefines what cross training actually means for slow runners, and it goes way beyond strength training.
She makes the case that true cross training is any cardiovascular activity that challenges your heart and lungs the same way a run would, from stationary bikes and ellipticals to paced walking.
She also digs into how to use cross training to train to rep...
In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali kicks off her real-time proof of time training experiment as she prepares for a September 10K to earn a faster runDisney corral placement.
She shares why she chose a longer training runway instead of rushing into a summer race, how she structured her weekly schedule around speed workouts, cross training, and long runs, and what she learned during her very first week o...
In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali answers a listener question about the best way to carry water during runDisney training and races… and whether hydration vests are basically the same thing as weighted vests.
She breaks down the pros and cons of handheld bottles versus hydration vests, explains why hydration needs are different from adding extra weight for training, and shares why she per...
In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali breaks down how many races slow, back-of-the-pack, or injury-prone runners should realistically sign up for each year without ending up burnt out, injured, or hating training.
She shares her own strategy of training for a 10K proof of time months in advance instead of rushing into races unprepared, and explains why shorter races can actually help runners earn be...
In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali answers a Stronger.Faster.Finisher. listener question… should slow runners wear a weighted vest?
She explains why weighted vests might make sense for firefighters, military personnel, police officers, paramedics, or anyone who needs to train with heavy tactical gear, but why they usually are not the best choice for slow, back-of-the-pack, or injury-prone ...
In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali answers a listener question about how to manage run/walk intervals in crowded runDisney race environments, especially when dodging other runners makes the experience frustrating instead of fun.
She explains how your interval choice impacts your strategy, and offers practical solutions like syncing with a pace group or nearby runners using similar intervals, temp...
In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali breaks down what consistency actually looks like for slow, back-of-the-pack runDisney runners… and why it has less to do with willpower and more to do with whether you actually enjoy your workouts.
She shares how consistency even counts during rest and recovery phases, and explains how small factors like missing your caffeine or under-fueling with carbs c...
In this episode of Running to the Castle Dr. Ali shares the one non-negotiable every runner needs to add to their routine, and it’s not another workout, speed session, or long run.
It’s recovery. She explains why recovery should be treated as part of your run—not something optional—and how skipping it is one of the biggest reasons slow, back-of-the-pack, or injury-prone runDisney runners...
In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali sits down with Kai to share his powerful journey from walking for weight loss to completing the Dopey Challenge after years of setbacks, surgeries, and time away from running.
Despite dealing with multiple surgeries, shin splints, and barely being able to run 20 seconds at a time just months before race day, Kai committed to a different approach: slowing down, f...
In this episode of Running to the Castle Dr. Ali recaps her Springtime Surprise weekend experience from start to finish, sharing everything from travel chaos and expo surprises to race strategies and emotional finish line moments.
She walks through how she approached each race in the challenge: choosing to walk the 5K, experiment with pacing and character stops during the 10K, and ultimately support a client th...
In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali talks with Christina Bowler about how she went from a self-proclaimed non-athletic Disney fan who could barely run the mile in gym class to a runDisney runner who completed multiple race weekends, finished her first marathon, and then cut her pace enough to hit a huge goal at Princess Fairytale Challenge.
Christina shares how she got started because of her love ...
In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali walks listeners through exactly how to approach race week so they can cross the finish line feeling calm, prepared, and confident instead of panicked and second-guessing themselves.
She reminds runners that the hay is in the barn: the training is done, and this is not the time for bonus miles, pace tests, or trying to cram in fitness at the last minute.
Ins...
In this episode of Running to the Castle Dr. Ali sits down with Page Bittner to walk through her full journey from a gymnast who hated running to a Dopey Challenge finisher, and not just any finish, but one that required adaptability, trust, and grit in brutal race conditions.
Page shares how she went from sprinting and pole vaulting to her first half marathon on a whim, fell in love with runDisney, stepped awa...
In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali breaks down one of the most frustrating experiences for runners…when your pace slows down and your stamina feels worse despite months of training.
She explains why this is incredibly common, especially for slow, back-of-the-pack runDisney runners, and why it’s usually not a sign that you’re failing, but a signal that something needs to change....
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