In this episode of Running to the Castle Dr. Ali answers a listeners question if it’s possible to actually get faster with 5 weeks left before Dopey 2026 race.

Dr. Ali dives into the nuance of yes, it is, and no it’s not, possible to get faster about 1 month before Dopey 2026.

Learn the 4 speed workouts that finally help 13+ minute-per-mile runDisney runners get faster without blowing up their long runs... and why pace testing is the secret to unlocking real progress.

A practical and encouraging guide where Dr. Ali teaches slow, back-of-the-pack runDisney runners three simple changes that reliably build speed, confidence, and buffer time so they can finally enjoy character stops without fear of getting swept.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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. 

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? 

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. 

In this episode of Running to the Castle, you’ll learn why finishing strong has nothing to do with running more miles. 

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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. 

In this episode of Running to the Castle, you’ll learn what to do when marathon training leaves you with bad muscle pain. 

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. 

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.