By David Freeze

Salisbury and Rowan’s signature running event is now less than a month away. The 41st Annual New Sarum Brewing Winter Flight 8K, 5K and Fun Run is set for Catawba College on Sunday afternoon, Feb. 4. Race time for the ½-mile fun run is 1:30 p.m. on the Shuford Stadium track. All fun runners are free, including adults, but only kids 12 and under are eligible for awards.

Then at 1:57 p.m., the wheelchair event, highlighted by Ainsley’s Angels, gets an early start on the field. The Angels are special-needs kids who can’t run but have strong adult legs to push them through the 8K or 5K course in uniquely designed wheelchairs.

At 2 p.m., the main event 8K and Health Run and Walk 5K both hit the road. The 8K is the oldest race of that distance in the state and the fourth oldest of any distance. The 8K is also the Road Runners Club of America N.C. State Championship. All runners in the 8K (4.97 miles) must complete the course within 90 minutes. The 5K (3.1 miles) is an event to encourage health awareness and is less competitive. Numbers in the 5K have been growing each year.

All participants in the 8K and 5K will get another Meredith Abramson-designed lightweight hoodie, plus extensive refreshments and a chance to earn more than 120 awards. Both the 8K and 5K start in front of Goodman Gym and finish on the track. All participants will be able to view themselves in a finish line video and race day photos. The races will be chip-timed.

All proceeds for the event will go to Rowan Helping Ministries, and they will provide about 25 volunteers. The Salisbury PD, Rowan County Sheriff’s Office and Salisbury Fire Department will all be on hand for traffic and safety issues.

The previous evening, on Feb. 3 at 6 p.m., the Salisbury Rowan Runners and Salisbury Parks and Recreation will host a pasta dinner at the City Park Recreation Center. Nationally known ultramarathoner Dr. David Horton from Lynchburg and Liberty University will highlight the evening as keynote speaker. Horton was the one-time record holder for racing the Appalachian Trail and has the third fastest time in the Race Across America. He is featured in the motion picture “Extraordinary.” Late registration, packet pickup and SRR awards for 2023 will both happen during the evening as well.

Last year during my annual physical, I found that my reason for sluggish running for several weeks was a low vitamin D level. It had been low the previous year too. After talking with my doctor, I did my research and found out that low D affects so many things, one of which is exercise performance. Fatigue and muscle weakness are two symptoms that can develop without supplemental vitamin D in the wintertime.

Often called the sunshine vitamin, vitamin D-deficient adults can use direct sun exposure to allow the body to make up the deficiency. However, in the shorter days of winter, adequate sun exposure is usually not possible. Estimates range from 35 percent to 50 percent of adults as being vitamin D deficient at this time of year, One source called the deficiency an epidemic. Milk and yogurt help, as do fatty fish, beef liver, mushrooms and egg yolks.

Thinking I should have learned this lesson last year, I was told by a soon-to-be registered nurse that iron binds vitamin D, and that the two should not be taken together. Research proved that fact. I had been taking a D3 1000 IU supplement daily at the same time with iron.

A new lesson learned; I quickly began to follow the doctor’s suggestion of 5,000 IUs daily for the time being. My exercise is already improving. If the winter blahs are an issue, check out your vitamin D level.

Registration for Winter Flight is open at runsignup.com. Look for more information on Winter Flight 2024 and other events at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org.