Another Dayton First!
It being the start of football season, I thought it would be appropriate to get a picture of this marker for the blog. It details how the first ever NFL game was played right here in Dayton, financed by local businesses, and played in a park that they built. I’ve stopped to read this before, but never took a picture until today. It’s just another cool little thing I discovered by exploring the city on my bike.
After dorking up my thumb in a mountain bike crash, I had an unplanned day off from training, which is something I hate doing. It makes me antsy to sit around in the first place, and to do it when I hadn’t planned on it makes the itching worse. Last night, I figured out that I could still grip the hoods on my road bike without too much trouble, and used the excuse of a family gathering at my parents’ house to squeeze in a ride.
Of course, I couldn’t just go straight there, because that was only a 15 mile route, and that’s just too short to have any fun at all. So I got up early and mapped out a 44 mile route, mostly on bike path, that would land me at their front door right about when the festivities (for a couple birthdays) would begin.
I anticipated just going easy, especially as my hip and thumb ached and complained through the first 10 miles. But when I turned east out of downtown, I looked down to see my pace increasing, easily. Something about the aches and pains, and being out riding anyway, and the cool, cloudy morning spoke to my athlete’s heart, and I surged ahead without even really trying. I blasted over to Eastwood at 22 mph, hands in the drops and barely breathing hard. It felt good, far better than a ride so close to a hard crash should feel, and I was eating it up.
I took a little break from Eastwood to Beavercreek and then let loose again, bobbing and weaving through the holiday bike path traffic, who all acted surprised at my apparent sense of urgency. East to Xenia and then north to Yellow Springs, I never really felt the need to let up, and my front tire seemed as hungry for miles as my legs were for speed. Even given stops for traffic, street crossings and a sluggish first ten miles, I averaged almost 18mph, which is good for me even when I’m healthy. I wrapped up the ride feeling mentally restored, even if my body still hurt.
I sure am glad I bought my road bike. And I’m glad I took the long way to Mom’s house.
Oh, and go Buckeyes!