Running to the Castle
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.
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Run Your Fastest Dopey in 2026
In this episode of Running to the Castle you’ll learn how to improve your speed and pace so you can run faster at the Dopey Challenge in Disney World in 2026.
Specific important aspects of getting faster are discussed including speed workouts and how fast to run each week to make sure you get faster for Dopey 2026.
How to Get a Proof of Time for runDisney Marathon
In this episode of Running to the Castle you’ll learn the proof of time requirements for the runDisney Marathon and runDisney half marathon and what you need to do to get a proof of time so you get placed in lower corrals.
5 Key Elements Your Strength Plan Needs So It Works and You Stop Getting Injured
In this episode of Running to the Castle you’ll learn the 5 key elements that you need to include in your strength plan so it works and you stop getting injured. When you have some of these elements but not all of them you won’t get stronger and stop getting injured.
Run Your Strongest Dopey in 2026
Learn when to officially start training for Dopey and what to do leading up to official training. There are specific things to work out and a top mistake to avoid. Avoid this top mistake so you don’t get injured again and you can stop getting minor injuries throughout training.
How Long Do You Need to Take Off to Recover from a Marathon?
In this episode of Running to the Castle you’ll learn the amount of time it takes to recover from a marathon. I’ll review the typical timeline of recovery from the standpoint of normal breakdown that happens during running a marathon.
Go from Half Marathon to Princess Half Marathon
In this episode of Running to the Castle you’ll learn what to do during the 6 weeks from Marathon Weekend to Princess Weekend when you ran the half marathon and are running the Princess half marathon.
Go from Dopey to Princess Challenge
In this episode of Running to the Castle you’ll learn the 3 Main Elements you need to include in the time between Dopey and Princess Weekend.
Recover from a Marathon Fast so You Can Keep Training
In this episode of Running to the Castle you’ll learn how to recover fast from a Marathon so you can keep training for your next race.
Get Rid of that Dead Leg Feeling After Disney Race (Post-Race Recovery)
In this episode of Running to the Castle you’ll learn what to do in the first few days after Dopey to recover fast and get rid of pain and soreness.
Marathon Fueling as a 6 Hour Marathon Runner
In this episode of Running to the Castle you’ll learn how to fuel for a marathon when you’re a slow runner running a marathon in 6+ hours.
Should You Rest After Each Race During Dopey?
Find out if runners should go to the parks after runDisney races or if they should rest.
Dopey Fueling
Listen to the whole episode to hear examples of how many carbs are in honey stinger waffle, honey stinger chews, clifbloks, gummy bears and more. Top tips for the hard miles, fuel by time not mileage, and how often to take in fuel.
Race Day Breakfast
In this episode of Running to the Castle you’ll learn what to eat and how to eat first thing in the morning for breakfast on race day, especially if you’re not hungry in the morning or you have to wake up super early (hello runDisney 2am wake ups!)
Some things that may sound crazy include me trying soda first thing in the morning!
Do You Need to Fuel for a 5k?
In this episode of Running to the Castle you’ll learn my recommendation as a coach for runDisney runners who needs to fuel for a 5k and in what situations you should fuel for a 5k.
Special situations you’ll learn about:
Multi-day races like Dopey Challenge
Workouts that include strength training or stretching
runDisney races with early early morning races
Race Week Carb Loading for Dopey
In this episode of Running to the Castle you’ll learn how much and when to start carb loading for the Dopey Challenge at Disney World.
Race Day Blister and Chafing Prevention
You’ll learn about specific clothing and socks to wear to avoid chaffing on your legs or blisters on your feet. There are special types of bandages you can use in addition to the special socks to give your feet an extra barrier to prevent blisters.
You’ll also learn what to do if you do if you do get blisters to prevent them from getting worse.
Should You Run Race Week?
For the injury-prone runDisney runner you may want to run the week of your race to get a few final miles in… or you may feel guilty about taking time off.
Listen to this episode to find out which is best: running race week or taking some time off.