Okay, so I saw this thing online about Leonard Floyd’s 40-yard dash time and thought, “Hey, I should time myself and see how I stack up.” Yeah, I know, I’m no NFL prospect, but it sounded like a fun little experiment. Plus, I’ve been trying to get back in shape, so this seemed like a good way to track some kind of progress, even if it’s just for kicks.
First things first, I needed to figure out how to even do this whole 40-yard dash thing. Found some stuff online – basically, you just sprint 40 yards as fast as humanly possible. Easy peasy, right? Well, not so much. Turns out, there’s a whole science to this, with electronic testing and whatnot at the NFL Combine. But hey, I’m not trying to go pro, just trying to not embarrass myself too much.
So, I went down to the local track. It was a bit early, so thankfully not too many people around to witness my potential humiliation. Marked out 40 yards as best as I could, did some warm-up stretches, you know, the whole nine yards (pun intended). And then, I got in my best starting stance, which was probably all wrong, and waited for my buddy to yell “Go!”.
- Attempt 1: I took off like a rocket, or at least that’s what it felt like. My legs were pumping, arms were swinging, and I was actually feeling pretty good. Crossed the 40-yard mark, and my buddy yelled out the time. Let’s just say it wasn’t anywhere near NFL-worthy. I won’t bore you with the details, but let’s just say there was plenty of room for improvement.
- Attempt 2: After catching my breath, I decided to go for round two. This time, I tried to focus on my form a bit more, keeping my head down, driving with my legs, all that good stuff. Felt a bit smoother, maybe a tad faster, but the time was still, well, let’s just call it “amateur hour.”
- Attempt 3: By this point, I was starting to feel it in my legs. But hey, I’m not a quitter. One more try, for glory! I gave it my all, a final burst of whatever energy I had left. And you know what? It was… slightly better than the first two attempts. Still not breaking any records, but hey, progress is progress, right?
I saw some videos on Instagram and Twitter where people were posting their 40 times, but let me tell you that it is not as easy as it looks in the videos. At least, now I have a better understanding of how to run 40-yard.
After my little track adventure, I did some more digging online. Saw some crazy stats about the fastest 40 times ever recorded at the NFL Combine, like this guy John Ross who apparently ran a 4.22. I mean, that’s just insane. It got me thinking about all the different ways they measure these athletes – speed, agility, burst, you name it. Makes my little experiment seem even more like child’s play.
Anyway, the whole thing was a fun little experience. I definitely have a newfound respect for those NFL guys and their crazy speed. As for me, I’ll just keep on working on my fitness, one slow 40-yard dash at a time. Maybe one day I’ll break the 6-second mark. A guy can dream, right?
