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 shares Week 12 of her Proof of Time half marathon training journey, digging into what it really takes to hit and hold race pace when your body (and the Las Vegas summer heat) is fighting back.
She explores the experiment of adjusting run/walk intervals versus running straight through, and why testing her own training methods matters before recommending them to c...
In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali breaks down why your paces feel so much harder — and slower — when the temperatures climb, using heart rate zones to show exactly what's happening inside your body.
She walks through a simple self-experiment comparing your warm-up heart rate on a comfortable day versus a scorching one, and explains why your heart can't tell the difference between bea...
In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali walks through week 11 of her Proof of Time training block, including how she's adapting her workouts to brutal Las Vegas summer heat.
She shares the mental strategies she leaned on to push through a tough race-pace speed workout, plus what she learned about pace testing on an unfamiliar treadmill.
Ali also talks through her decision to take a long run outsi...
In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali breaks down the true purpose of the long run and why it has nothing to do with getting faster.
She explains the "pink, gray, and green" pace spectrum, why zone two heart rate training can be misleading, and how to use pace testing to find your ideal easy pace.
Dr. Ali also shares why changing only one variable at a time (distance OR speed, never both) is th...
In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali walks through a week that got hijacked by a home repair headache and a rough holiday weekend, and shares how she still managed to hit the bare minimum without losing sight of her training goals.
She breaks down the key difference between a "just finish" goal and a "fast" goal, and how knowing which one is yours should shape what you cut when life gets in the way...
In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali breaks down how cross training fits into a slow runDisney runner's training plan and why it's different from strength training.
She explains the 5 phases of a running journey and the 6 pillars of balanced training, then answers a listener question about the ideal length and frequency of cross training sessions.
Dr. Ali also shares practical ways to fit cros...
In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali breaks down week 9 of her Proof of Time half marathon training, a week that was far from perfect but still delivered real progress.
She walks through a Level 2 Tempo Run interrupted by a mid-workout treadmill shut down, a heavy strength training session, and a stress-driven decision to skip her long run entirely.
Dr. Ali also shares her latest pace test res...
In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali tackles one of the most common fears runners bring to her: will I actually finish this race?
She breaks down why small, incremental training increases build real, physical proof that your body can handle race day, and why a single rough workout due to heat, stress, or life circumstances doesn't mean your fitness is slipping.
Dr. Ali shares her "10% more, 10...
In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali checks in on Week 8 of her Proof of Time half marathon training, recorded during her family's 10-year wedding anniversary getaway.
She shares how she reorganized her training around real life: swapping days, choosing a staycation over travel, and still getting in speed work, strength training, and a long run.
Along the way she reflects on visible strength g...
In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali breaks down the four simple speed workouts built into her free training plans: hill repeats, 30-20-10, progression runs, and tempo runs.
And she explains exactly why each one matters for runDisney race day.
She covers the science behind sprint duration and recovery time, introduces the "pink, green, and gray zone" pacing concept, and shares how consistent s...
In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali shares her Week 7 Proof of Time half marathon training recap: a week where life got lifey again, but three solid workouts still got done.
She walks through a progression run gone sideways (including a scheduling error that accidentally went out to her entire Stronger.Faster.Finisher. community), how she used her moderate pace as a compass to get back on track, a...
In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali gets real about why strength training falls off the schedule, and what to actually do about it.
She breaks down how to match your strength training approach to your life, your goals, and your brain's bandwidth, including when low weight and high volume makes sense versus when machines might be your best friend.
Dr. Ali also unpacks the concept of neuromuscu...
In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali gets real about what happens when life completely derails your training plan and why that's okay.
She walks through a chaotic few weeks of new-build home repairs, including a major shower overhaul, a family health scare, and a weeks-long air conditioning nightmare that left her with almost zero workouts.
Along the way, Dr. Ali shares her honest take on what missing two...
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...
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