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A podcast for 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.
171 Episodes
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Send us a text In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali tackles how back-of-the-pack marathoners can get meaningfully faster before January races so they have a bigger buffer from the balloon ladies and time for character stops. She lays out a simple framework built on purposeful training instead of running the same pace every day. Long easy runs should be about two minutes per mile slower than goal race pace to preserve energy. Cross-training builds cardio without ...
Send us a text In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali welcomes special guest Betsy Foster, founder of Foster Strength and Built Bodies and host of the Your Strongest Body podcast. Together they dive into the world of strength training for women in their 30s and 40s, breaking down the myths about “bulking up,” soreness, and calorie-burning workouts. Betsy shares her journey from dancer to strength coach and explains how lifting weights helps women build confidence, energy, and...
Send us a text In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali discusses how to continue training for Dopey after a Marathon with 10 weeks to go. Dr. Ali discusses how you need to let your body recover from the first marathon before continuing on to training for Dopey and this is a mistake runners often make that prevent them from reaching the starting line. She outlines what the next 3 weeks could look like to allow yourself to recover from the first marathon, then goes on to discuss optio...
Send us a text In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali discusses how to train after Wine and Dine Half Marathon or 2 Course Challenge and the Dopey Challenge, or other races that include the Marathon in January 2026. The biggest thing to avoid is overtraining. She discusses how it’s better to be a little undertrained than overtrained. Take the next 2 weeks immediately after Wine and Dine to rest and recover. Walk and cross train and take at least 2 rest days each week for the ...
Send us a text In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali explains why you should not run a half marathon to train for a half marathon or a 5K to train for a 5K. She shares how repeating race distance too often leads to burnout, injury, and loss of motivation instead of better performance. Using examples from soccer training and Greek mythology, Dr. Ali illustrates how breaking training into smaller, focused sessions builds strength and endurance more effectively than const...
Send us a text In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali breaks down one of the most common questions she gets from runners: what supplements should I take for joint pain? She explains that while glucosamine, chondroitin, turmeric, and collagen are often marketed for joint support, supplements alone rarely solve running-related pain. They can sometimes help overall joint health, but they cannot replace smart training, recovery, and balance. Dr. Ali uses her Finisher Framew...
Send us a text In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali tackles the question “Is your injury all in your head?” and answers with a firm no. Using a listener’s calf-pain story as a springboard, she explains how real physiology (sensitized tissues, nerve-related pain, and conditions like CRPS) can persist even when basic imaging looks “normal,” and why stress fractures often require MRI, not X-rays, to diagnose during early symptoms. Drawing on her own experience with ortho...
Send us a text In this episode of Running to the Castle, you’ll learn why finishing strong has nothing to do with running more miles. Dr. Ali breaks down the common mistake many back-of-the-pack and injury-prone runners make, adding extra runs or pushing past race distance in hopes of feeling stronger on race day, and explains why that approach often leads to fatigue, burnout, and injury instead. Using a soccer analogy, she redefines the phrase “practice like you play,” showing th...
Send us a text In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali dives into the messy overlap of AI, training plans, and social media “perfect” bodies. She shares how she uses ChatGPT to tidy her own wording, but shows why you shouldn’t trust AI to design your plan: Gemini contradicted its own 10% rule and under-rested runners, while ChatGPT spit out a marathon plan that started at 6 miles and changed structure midstream—red flags for injury-prone athletes. The takeaway: treat AI ...
Send us a text In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali tackles the question of whether cross-training actually helps your RunDisney training…and why she believes it absolutely does. She explains how cross-training improves cardiovascular endurance, making running feel easier without piling extra stress on your joints. Drawing on both client examples and her own childhood sports experience, Ali shows how mixing up your training builds fitness faster, prevents overuse inju...
Send us a text In this episode of Running to the Castle, you’ll learn what it was like to run the final Disneyland Halloween Half Marathon Weekend before the race series goes on hiatus. Dr. Ali shares her experience running all three races—the 5K, 10K, and half marathon—including the lessons she learned about pacing for photo stops, fueling with flat Coke and Nerds Gummy Clusters, and checking in every half mile to stay steady in the heat. You’ll also hear how course support, character ...
Send us a text In this episode of Running to the Castle you’ll learn how Amanda transformed her half marathon experience from a 4-hour struggle to a confident 3:15 finish. She shares how she rebuilt after illness and setbacks, shifted to smarter pacing with intervals, practiced fueling earlier and more consistently, and leaned on strength training and recovery strategies to stay strong. Amanda also talks about the mental side of racing, from handling “dark miles” to celebrating pr...
Send us a text In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali tackles one of the biggest fears for slow, back-of-the-pack runDisney runners: getting swept by the balloon ladies. She explains why training every run at a 15-minute pace is a recipe for burnout and shares a smarter strategy that combines long, slow runs for time on your feet, shorter speed workouts to build efficiency, cross-training to boost fitness without extra pounding, and proper rest and fueling to keep your body s...
Send us a text In this episode of Running to the Castle, you’ll learn what to do when marathon training leaves you with bad muscle pain. Dr. Ali explains why suffering through soreness isn’t necessary and walks you through how to adjust your training, prioritize rest and recovery, and use stretching, massage, and cross-training to keep moving forward. You’ll hear why adding strength at the wrong time can backfire, how to balance mileage with recovery techniques, and what adjustmen...
Send us a text In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali shares practical race-day strategies for runners who weren’t able to train as planned due to illness, surgery, or life circumstances, aka life getting lifey. She explains why Run Disney typically won’t offer refunds or corral changes, but emphasizes what runners can control: fueling, pacing, and recovery. Her advice includes pre-race carb loading, starting each race slow and steady instead of avoiding an early sprint...
Send us a text In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali tackles the common question of whether runners should wear new shoes right before a race. She breaks down why the golden rule of “nothing new on race day” matters, explaining that two days isn’t nearly enough time to properly break in new shoes and avoid blisters or discomfort. Using her Finisher Framework, she puts shoes into context as just one piece of the bigger puzzle of training and recovery, comparing breaking in shoes to...
Send us a text In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali reminds runners that a single bad workout doesn’t define their training—because workouts don’t happen in a vacuum. Using her “rule of thirds,” she explains that about one-third of your workouts will feel great, one-third will feel neutral, and one-third will feel tough, and that balance is not only normal but necessary for progress. She shares examples from her clients in Stronger. Faster. Finisher. to show how stres...
Send us a text In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali answers a common question: “What if my easy pace feels too fast for me?” She explains why relying on apps that calculate training paces from a 5K PR can be misleading, since factors like distance, heat, stress, sleep, fueling, and hydration all impact heart rate and effort. Easy runs should feel truly easy—conversational and sustainable—not like a struggle to hit a number. Dr. Ali shares why slowing down, even ...
Send us a text In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali dives into the often-overlooked side of injuries: what happens after the bone, tendon, or muscle technically heals. Using real-life examples, from a TV show storyline to her own childhood injury and even ACL and stress fracture cases, she explains the concept of sequelae, the chain reaction of weakness, tightness, and compensations that follow an injury. You’ll learn why lingering pain, stiffness, or new issues in yo...
Send us a text In this episode of Running to the Castle, you’ll learn 5 practical strategies to stay consistent with your runDisney training—especially if running isn’t the center of your life. Dr. Ali shares the top struggles runners report, like motivation, consistency, and long runs, and breaks down how to overcome them. From having honest conversations with your partner about priorities, to throwing perfection out the window, to focusing on the bare minimum that keeps you movi...
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