Alright, so I got really curious about Blake Corum’s 40-yard dash time, I mean, this guy is a beast, right? So, I decided to try and run it myself, just to see how I stack up. First thing’s first, I needed a place to run. My backyard is way too small, so I went down to the local high school track. Thankfully, it was a Saturday morning and pretty much deserted.
Next, I needed to mark off 40 yards. I didn’t have a measuring tape, I’m not that organized. I paced it out, each step is roughly a yard, right? So I counted out 40 big steps and marked the start and finish with some rocks I found nearby. I figured it would be close enough. After that I warmed up a bit, did some stretches, and some high knees, you know, the usual stuff. I even did a few short sprints to get my legs going.
Then came the hard part, actually running. I tried to channel my inner athlete, got down in a three-point stance, just like I’ve seen them do in the NFL. I pushed off as hard as I could, pumping my arms and legs like crazy. I tried to keep my head down and my eyes forward, focusing on that finish line I made up with a pile of rocks. I tried to imagine I’m Blake Corum and I’m going to the end zone.
My Attempts
- First try: Felt pretty good, but I didn’t have a timer, so it was kind of pointless. But I think it was maybe 6 seconds, give or take. Not too bad, but who knows?
- Second try: This time, I used the stopwatch on my phone. I started the timer with my thumb, placed the phone on the ground, ran, picked it up, and stopped it as quickly as I could. Clocked in at 6.8 seconds. Ouch.
- Third try: I figured out a better way, kind of. I set my phone up on the ground, hit record on the video, ran past it, and then stopped the recording. I watched the video and timed it on my laptop. This time, I got 6.2 seconds. Still a long way from Blake’s 4.53, but I was getting better, I guess.
Man, running 40 yards is way harder than it looks. By the end, I was totally gassed. I definitely have a newfound respect for these athletes. They make it look so easy, but it’s a real workout. I think I pulled a hamstring on that last one too, that was my body telling me to call it a day.
Obviously, my times were nowhere near Blake Corum’s. But, hey, it was a fun experiment. I got some exercise, learned a little bit about running fast, and realized that I should probably stick to watching football, not playing it. And maybe next time I’ll bring a real measuring tape and get someone to time me properly. Or maybe I’ll just stick to blogging, it’s a lot less painful.
