Dan Cummings - The Running Realtor

Seems we all slow down with age and as my training has escalated over the past few years it has been frustrating to see my best running time was before I joined Team in Training and really learned about the importance of variation on runs. 

Last week at this time I was in the early miles of my slowest marathon in NYC.  Pat Murray and I planned to do the Miami Marathon but we never talked about how to approach the race so on marathon morning we went our separate ways,  in NY we decided to set an nice pace and enjoy the sights of the city which was great!

Yesterday I noticed there was a 5 mile race in New Haven so this morning I was off to the MADD Dash.  I felt pretty good considering I'd just finished a 26.2 mile marathon but at mile 4 with a time of 36:20 I figured chance are I would not make up a minute in the final mile for a new personal record in a 5 miles race so I settled in to a comfortable pace behind a follower.

The last mile was not a steep downhill but a nice gradual decline where I was able to pick up a little speed.  About 200 yards from the finish I could see the clock turn to mark 44 minutes and had to make a split second decision.  I opted to forget the fine follower and go for a PR, my first in almost two years!

By running standards I'm still not very fast but I was able to trim over 15 seconds off my quickest previous time to finish at 44:48.

If you are thinking of selling and curious about the value of your home click the house on the right to request a Free No Obligation Market Analysis of the property.  With today's on-line databases I can give you a fairly good idea of the market price without even touring the house.

Anyone ready to undertake the adventures of searching for property in New Haven County can contact Dan Cummings - The Running Realtor via email or call my 24 hour access line : 203-672-2455

Today as I saw all the Follow Friday tags on Twitter I was reflecting back on a busy week of Face-to-Face socializing and recalling a question I was asked the other night that left me wondering how I could keep better track of all the people I run into via Social Networking.

Instead of tagging a few select individuals for extra exposure I decided to rummage through the people I follow and follow me on Twitter to pick out the ones I have met in person. Many of them originated here on ActiveRain where I used to spend a considerable amount of time.  These days I find Facebook, Blip.FM & Twitter are my most frequent sites.

Most of these people are active on Twitter but a few can rarely be found there preferring to hang out on AR or Facebook.  The list is sorted by first names, if I missed you or we're not connected add the RunningRealtor

During the wee hours I ran into the survey results for the Top 10 Motivational Songs for Runners.  These days instead of spending hours blogging about Real Estate I have been devoting much of my time to the enjoyment of music on Blip.FM which is like Twitter with music.

Have a listen if you like....

     #1 -  Eye of the Tiger

     #2 -  Keep on Running

     #3 -  Sex on Fire 

     #4 -  Don't Stop Me Now

     #5 -  Mr. Brightside

     #6 -  Chariots of Fire

     #7 -  Prowd

     #8 -  Insomnia

     #9 -  Born to Run

    #10 - Poker Face

Anyone ready to undertake the adventures of buyer or selling property in New Haven County can contact Dan Cummings - The Running Realtor via email or call my 24 hour access line : 203-672-2455

The activity in the market seems to be picking up this year but it has not been reflected in closed sales yet. Buyers are cautiously looking and taking their time before signing on the dotted line.  With the stimulus incentive of up to $8000 for first time home buyers they seem to be the majority of the "lookers" and will need to purchase before December 1st to qualify for the $8000 credit.

If you are thinking of selling and curious about the value of your home click the house on the right to request a Free No Obligation Market Analysis of the property.  With today's on-line databases I can give you a fairly good idea of the market price without even touring the house.

Anyone ready to undertake the adventures of searching for property in New Haven County can contact Dan Cummings - The Running Realtor via email or call my 24 hour access line : 203-672-2455

Subscribe to Dan - The Running Man's Blog by Email

The weather turned out to be great for the Parade this year.  Sights and sounds were similar to past years but I thought I caught a glimpse of AR's own Beth Forbes but she turned away before I could snap a confirmation photo.  My wife came along this year so we just found a little piece of ground and watched for awhile.  Usually I prefer to move around and take in the less noticed sights so instead of dwelling on the marchers I'll revisit the more interesting adventure from a previous year.

Upon my arrival the smell of beer and cigarettes was thick as was the crowd, maybe 10 feet wide with a few watching the parade and others attempting to travel in both directions.  The push was slow. My next half hour was spent flowing north squeezed into a sea of college girls & Gen-X'ers.  Guess with people my age the logical side of the brain usually wins so they avoid the crowd.

About mid-block fists started flying and an opening suddenly emerged, lucky me...eye to eye with the big guy!  His wife or girlfriend had hold of his shirt as he thrashed around trying to break loose, I started pounding his upper arm with an open hand yelling mellow out dude...he turned, grabbed his woman and started screaming in her face. For a few seconds I was paralyzed in thought, grabbing this guy now would surely escalate the situation. Fortunately he settled down as the push and screams from behind me started moving the crowd forward again.  Reflecting back it dawned on my how ill prepared I was for action, I was wearing glasses!  They could have broke...

Funny how times have changed, when I reached the mellow area I notice I was surrounded by what once may have been considered "Outlaw Bikers".  All hanging in harmony - Hells Angels, James Gang, Hole in the Wall, Brothers of The Rock, the general population and Dan The Running Man

After the isolated outburst I witnessed upon arriving the afternoon was quite civilized. Never did meet up with my son though, his cell went right into voice mail and I was stepping into the parking garage after the parade when he returned my call. Just as well, gave me a chance to watch as a silent observer and enabled me to get several photos I may have missed.

If you are thinking of selling and curious about the value of your home click the house on the right to request a Free No Obligation Market Analysis of the property.  With today's on-line databases I can give you a fairly good idea of the market price without even touring the house.

Anyone ready to undertake the adventures of searching for property in New Haven County can contact Dan Cummings - The Running Realtor via email or call my 24 hour access line : 203-672-2455

Subscribe to Dan - The Running Man's Blog by Email

Yes… After all these years I still recall the advertising done by K-Mart for their Blue Light Specials.  It was a great marketing gimmick for a store that did not survive in Connecticut.

THE GAP on the other hand including their affiliate stores BANANA REPUBLIC and OLD NAVY have done well offering value to consumers.  In an effort the help stimulate your purchasing power the Give & Get event will be offered for the next 4 days giving you 30% off purchases and they will donate 5% of the amount you spend to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Just print the coupon and shop at one of the participating stores between March 12-15, 2009.

In the Real Estate Business here in New England March 1st is kind of the unofficial start of our Spring Market but as I backed out of my driveway this morning signs of spring were pretty well hidden.  Winter has been hanging on this year and has dumped double the average annual snowfall on us.

Another sign of spring from a runner's viewpoint is the WPLR ShamRock & Roll 5k.  Since 99.1 has been my station of choice dating back to the mid 70's it makes sense to participate in the event each year. Back in the day I'd typically hit Toad's Place in New Haven after eight on a Saturday night,  now the only time I make an appearance is a little after eight on a Sunday morning in March.

Just over two years ago when I started blogging my results at the WPLR ShamRock & Roll 5k offered a perfect opportunity to share my running buddy's secret to speed improvement.

If you are looking for a fun run mark your calender for March 8th this year. The race starts and 9:00am and Toad's should have the beer flowing shortly thereafter.

Recently I took a trip to run the Miami Marathon and the first person I met upon arriving in Miami Beach was Janie Coffey of Papillon Real Estate.  Janie came out for a few hours and introduced us to the unique atmosphere of the Lincoln Road area where we spent quite a bit of time during our stay on South Beach. 

During our dinner discussion we learned that the Miami area although currently depressed offers a great opportunity for anyone with vision that is considering relocating into the area.  This year the New England Winter seems exceptionally long and the thought of a warmer climate crosses many minds.  If you are thinking of retirement or relocating to Southern Florida in the next few years it might be wise to contact Janie Coffey and accelerate your plan to pick up a home at today's discount prices.  Well established homeowners with a few more years of work might discover it makes sense to buy now with the depressed real estate prices and historically low rates instead of waiting until after they retire. 

In addition to residential home sales in the Miami area Janie Coffey is well known in the Equestrian Community so if you require a unique parcel for your horses Janie is the one to call.

OPEN HOUSE -  Sunday March 1, 2009  between 12:00 - 3:00 pm.

All are Welcome... Buyers, Sellers & Just Curious Lookers...  

The Location :  20 Tanglewood Drive - Branford, Connecticut 06405

The Description:   Sitting at the end of a cul-de-sac abutting the woods is this charming cape awaiting it's new owners. Living Room & Dining Room with newly refinished hardwood floors and crown molding. Family Room with Fireplace and sliders to the screen porch and an office finish off the first floor.

The Financials:  Asking price of $419,900

The Directions:  Exit 56 off of I-95, south on Leetes Island Road to a left of Eastwood Drive and a right on Fern leads straight to 20 Tanglewood Drive. The easy option is just follow the William Raveis Real Estate signs leading to the Open House hosted by Dan & Sandra!

If for any reason you are unable to attend on Sunday and you would like to arrange a private showing You can contact Dan Cummings , The Running Realtor at 203-672-2455 or email Sandra@CummingsTeam.com

If you would like to search for other homes for sale on the Connecticut Multiple Listing Service sign up for FREE INSTANT ACCESS at MLS.CUMMINGSTEAM.COM