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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 neuromuscular demand, explaining why some exercises feel harder than they should, and why that hidden cognitive load might be secretly derailing your consistency.

Whether you're training for a Dopey challenge or just trying to stay healthy as a runner, this episode will help you build a strength training habit that actually sticks.

Learn more about Stronger. Faster. Finisher. !

Ready to cross the finish line stronger, faster, and prouder at your next runDisney race?

Get personalized support, smarter training, and strategies designed specifically for slow, back-of-the-pack runners who want to build a bigger buffer ahead of the balloon ladies, have time for character photos and energy to enjoy the Disney Parks. Learn more about the Stronger. Faster. Finisher. Program today and be the first to know when doors open!

Free Resources

• Follow me on Instagram @rundisneydpt
• Join the Facebook Community to get training support
• Check out FREE training plans for injury-prone runDisney runners on my website.
• Book a Free 30 minute Call with me if you're wondering how you should train and if working together makes sense.
  
  Hi, I'm Dr. Ali
  I've been running for 15+ years and been in the rehab space since 2012 when I earned my Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree. I get injury prone runDisney runners across the finish line without feeling broken.

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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 weeks of training actually does (and doesn't do) to your fitness, and how to ease back in without setting yourself up for injury or burnout.

If you've ever had to hit pause on your training, this episode is the reassurance you didn't know you needed.

Learn more about Stronger. Faster. Finisher. !

Ready to cross the finish line stronger, faster, and prouder at your next runDisney race?

Get personalized support, smarter training, and strategies designed specifically for slow, back-of-the-pack runners who want to build a bigger buffer ahead of the balloon ladies, have time for character photos and energy to enjoy the Disney Parks. Learn more about the Stronger. Faster. Finisher. Program today and be the first to know when doors open!

Free Resources

• Follow me on Instagram @rundisneydpt
• Join the Facebook Community to get training support
• Check out FREE training plans for injury-prone runDisney runners on my website.
• Book a Free 30 minute Call with me if you're wondering how you should train and if working together makes sense.
  
  Hi, I'm Dr. Ali
  I've been running for 15+ years and been in the rehab space since 2012 when I earned my Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree. I get injury prone runDisney runners across the finish line without feeling broken.

Send us Fan Mail

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 you are in your running journey.

Dr. Ali also shares a simple standing test to figure out whether your legs need more strength work or more speed practice, and why pain is never a reliable measure of whether a workout is working.

By the end, you'll understand why sequencing strength and speed correctly, instead of trying to do everything at once, is the real key to getting faster.

Learn more about Stronger. Faster. Finisher. !

Ready to cross the finish line stronger, faster, and prouder at your next runDisney race?

Get personalized support, smarter training, and strategies designed specifically for slow, back-of-the-pack runners who want to build a bigger buffer ahead of the balloon ladies, have time for character photos and energy to enjoy the Disney Parks. Learn more about the Stronger. Faster. Finisher. Program today and be the first to know when doors open!

Free Resources

• Follow me on Instagram @rundisneydpt
• Join the Facebook Community to get training support
• Check out FREE training plans for injury-prone runDisney runners on my website.
• Book a Free 30 minute Call with me if you're wondering how you should train and if working together makes sense.
  
  Hi, I'm Dr. Ali
  I've been running for 15+ years and been in the rehab space since 2012 when I earned my Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree. I get injury prone runDisney runners across the finish line without feeling broken.

Send us Fan Mail

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 runners the way it's intended to.

Dr. Ali also shares what she's learning in real time about pacing, run-walk intervals, and how cumulative training stress across an entire week affects a single workout.

If you've ever had a run feel completely off and couldn't figure out why, this episode will give you the bird's-eye-view framework to make sense of it.

Learn more about Stronger. Faster. Finisher. !

Ready to cross the finish line stronger, faster, and prouder at your next runDisney race?

Get personalized support, smarter training, and strategies designed specifically for slow, back-of-the-pack runners who want to build a bigger buffer ahead of the balloon ladies, have time for character photos and energy to enjoy the Disney Parks. Learn more about the Stronger. Faster. Finisher. Program today and be the first to know when doors open!

Free Resources

• Follow me on Instagram @rundisneydpt
• Join the Facebook Community to get training support
• Check out FREE training plans for injury-prone runDisney runners on my website.
• Book a Free 30 minute Call with me if you're wondering how you should train and if working together makes sense.
  
  Hi, I'm Dr. Ali
  I've been running for 15+ years and been in the rehab space since 2012 when I earned my Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree. I get injury prone runDisney runners across the finish line without feeling broken.

Send us Fan Mail

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 training week, the value of cross-training and rest days, and how slowing down on easy runs can transform running from a chore into something you genuinely look forward to.

Whether you're wondering if you can split a long run, skip a workout, or simply miss Global Running Day guilt-free, this episode gives you permission to make running work for your real life.

Episodes mentioned that talk about “The Gray Zone”:

• Episode 202,
• Episode 203,
• Episode 206,
• Episode 210
• Episode 211

Learn more about Stronger. Faster. Finisher. !

Ready to cross the finish line stronger, faster, and prouder at your next runDisney race?

Get personalized support, smarter training, and strategies designed specifically for slow, back-of-the-pack runners who want to build a bigger buffer ahead of the balloon ladies, have time for character photos and energy to enjoy the Disney Parks. Learn more about the Stronger. Faster. Finisher. Program today and be the first to know when doors open!

Free Resources

• Follow me on Instagram @rundisneydpt
• Join the Facebook Community to get training support
• Check out FREE training plans for injury-prone runDisney runners on my website.
• Book a Free 30 minute Call with me if you're wondering how you should train and if working together makes sense.
  
  Hi, I'm Dr. Ali
  I've been running for 15+ years and been in the rehab space since 2012 when I earned my Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree. I get injury prone runDisney runners across the finish line without feeling broken.

Send us Fan Mail

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 willingness to get honest with yourself mid-treadmill.

From a breakthrough 30-20-10 to a strong 4.84-mile long run in Las Vegas heat, Dr. Ali shows what it really looks like to train smart when perfect isn't an option.

Learn more about Stronger. Faster. Finisher. !

Ready to cross the finish line stronger, faster, and prouder at your next runDisney race?

Get personalized support, smarter training, and strategies designed specifically for slow, back-of-the-pack runners who want to build a bigger buffer ahead of the balloon ladies, have time for character photos and energy to enjoy the Disney Parks. Learn more about the Stronger. Faster. Finisher. Program today and be the first to know when doors open!

Free Resources

• Follow me on Instagram @rundisneydpt
• Join the Facebook Community to get training support
• Check out FREE training plans for injury-prone runDisney runners on my website.
• Book a Free 30 minute Call with me if you're wondering how you should train and if working together makes sense.
  
  Hi, I'm Dr. Ali
  I've been running for 15+ years and been in the rehab space since 2012 when I earned my Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree. I get injury prone runDisney runners across the finish line without feeling broken.

Send us Fan Mail

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 episode challenges runners to think beyond just their run interval and consider the surprising power of walking faster.

Learn more about Stronger. Faster. Finisher. !

Ready to cross the finish line stronger, faster, and prouder at your next runDisney race?

Get personalized support, smarter training, and strategies designed specifically for slow, back-of-the-pack runners who want to build a bigger buffer ahead of the balloon ladies, have time for character photos and energy to enjoy the Disney Parks. Learn more about the Stronger. Faster. Finisher. Program today and be the first to know when doors open!

Free Resources

• Follow me on Instagram @rundisneydpt
• Join the Facebook Community to get training support
• Check out FREE training plans for injury-prone runDisney runners on my website.
• Book a Free 30 minute Call with me if you're wondering how you should train and if working together makes sense.
  
  Hi, I'm Dr. Ali
  I've been running for 15+ years and been in the rehab space since 2012 when I earned my Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree. I get injury prone runDisney runners across the finish line without feeling broken.

Send us Fan Mail

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 training actually looks like.

She also dives into the science behind one rep max testing, the osmolality of Coke as pre-run fuel, and why building time on your feet matters more than hitting exact mileage.

Links mentioned: Fuel Run Recover Podcast about Coke

Learn more about Stronger. Faster. Finisher. !

Ready to cross the finish line stronger, faster, and prouder at your next runDisney race?

Get personalized support, smarter training, and strategies designed specifically for slow, back-of-the-pack runners who want to build a bigger buffer ahead of the balloon ladies, have time for character photos and energy to enjoy the Disney Parks. Learn more about the Stronger. Faster. Finisher. Program today and be the first to know when doors open!

Free Resources

• Follow me on Instagram @rundisneydpt
• Join the Facebook Community to get training support
• Check out FREE training plans for injury-prone runDisney runners on my website.
• Book a Free 30 minute Call with me if you're wondering how you should train and if working together makes sense.
  
  Hi, I'm Dr. Ali
  I've been running for 15+ years and been in the rehab space since 2012 when I earned my Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree. I get injury prone runDisney runners across the finish line without feeling broken.