Join Team Mercury with Captain Ali Vincent – winner of NBC’s The Biggest Loser – for the Race for the Cure on October 12 in Downtown Phoenix. Below is a workout to help Mercury fans get in shape for the big race as well as tips on getting ready for the race and Ali’s training experiences.

Join Team Mercury today! It’s just $25 and includes an official Team Mercury t-shirt courtesy of Harris Dental. You can pick up your shirt at the Mercury’s annual Rock the Pink game…and meet Ali…on September 5th when the Mercury faces Sacramento at 7 p.m.

Getting ready for the race…

An important aspect of each training day that is not included in the workout is the warm up and cool down phase. Be sure to thoroughly stretch the muscles and loosen the body with a 5-10 minute jog before each exercise. Starting an intense workout without warming up could lead to serious injury.

Following each workout, be sure to take some time to walk and allow your body to cool down and your heart rate to return to a normal rate. You should also use this time to stretch the muscles again. This will help with recovery and reduce soreness the next day.

Rest is a key component of any workout. It is just as vital as training because it gives your muscles time to recover so you can run again. In fact, your muscles will build strength as you rest. Without recovery time you will not improve.

Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday will be the biggest training days of the week. Whether it’s running or walking, work at a conversational pace (one in which you can converse comfortably while working out). Don’t worry about how fast you run; just cover the distance – or approximately the distance suggested. There’s no need to push too hard, too fast. The workouts will gradually increase in duration and intensity until your body is prepared for the 5k race.

The days in between the toughest training days (Monday, Wednesday) are designed for some workout but not too much where you are fatigued for the next day’s run. Run until you feel fatigued and walk until you are recovered. Cross training is also an option here such as biking, swimming, or playing basketball!

Don’t overlook the Sunday workout. Walking is an excellent exercise that is often neglected. Go for an hour-long walk the day after your longest workout. Don’t be concerned about how fast or how far you go. Take your time and enjoy the training. It doesn’t all have to be difficult. If 60 minutes seems too much at first, begin with 30 minutes and add five minutes each week.

NUTRITION

Pre-Race

There is not a specific meal plan that works for everyone. Each body is unique in how it will react to different kinds of foods. The best approach is to experiment with different foods and times while training to know what is best for a pre-race meal on race day. However, here are a few suggestions to keep you from running into problems: