Okay, so I wanted to try this 30-yard dash thing. I saw some stuff online about it being in the SPARQ rating system for baseball, and it got me thinking, “Why not give it a shot?” So I did.
First off, I had to figure out where to even do this. My backyard isn’t exactly 30 yards, and I didn’t want to go to some official track. Eventually, I found a local park with a decent-sized field. It wasn’t perfect, but it was good enough.
Next, I needed to measure out the 30 yards. I didn’t have any fancy measuring tools, so I just paced it out. I took 30 big steps, which I figured was close enough to 30 yards. I marked the start and finish with a couple of random objects I found lying around.
- Warmed up a bit before starting.
- Did some stretches, jogged in place, you know, the usual.
- Didn’t want to pull a muscle or anything.
Then came the actual running. I lined up at the start, took a deep breath, and took off. I ran as fast as I could, which, let’s be honest, isn’t that fast. But I gave it my all.
I didn’t have anyone to time me, so I just used the stopwatch on my phone. I started it when I took off and stopped it when I crossed the finish line. It wasn’t super accurate, but it gave me a rough idea.
My Results
My first run was pretty bad. I was gasping for air by the end, and my time was way slower than I expected. I think I got somewhere around 5.40 seconds? I tried a few more times, and I did get a little bit faster with each run, but not by much. My best time was around 4.80 seconds.
Honestly, it was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I’m not in the best shape, but I didn’t think I was that out of shape. I guess running 30 yards at full speed is a lot different from just jogging around the block.
I read online that high school sprinters can do it in under 3.30 seconds. That’s crazy fast! I can’t even imagine running that fast. I also saw that the average speed for a “competitive” play in Major League Baseball is 27 feet per second. Again, way faster than me.
I kept practicing for a few weeks after that, but I didn’t see much improvement. Maybe I’m just not cut out for sprinting. But hey, at least I tried, right? It was a fun little experiment, and it definitely gave me a new appreciation for how fast those professional athletes are.
I definitely need to work on my fitness, I mean running is pretty basic right? At least I gave it a go. I thought it was a good idea to try something new, and it was, even though my results weren’t that great. I learned that I am slower than I thought I was. It was interesting to see how my body handled it though.
Overall, it was a good experience. I’m not going to be breaking any records anytime soon, but I had fun, and that’s what matters. Maybe I’ll try it again sometime in the future, after I’ve done a bit more training. Who knows, maybe I’ll even break the 4-second mark someday. A man can dream, right?
