Dan Cummings - The Running Realtor: September 2007

Not sure how I woke up with this thought but I was thinking about people that use children in their advertising.  That evolved into my reflection of a cartoon I had made years ago when my kids played hockey and needed to sell ad space for the awards banquet. 

Since I like to be a little creative I didn't want the standard ad that most parents purchased. Glancing thought the previous year book showed page after page of "Congratulations  BILLYBOB - Love Mom & Dad"

Fortunately I remember things quite well and recalled while Christmas shopping a few months earlier there was a cartoonist at the mall. At the time I was enjoying the success of my first career and remembered thinking his rate for custom work was very reasonable.

Now that school is back in session a new season of AD Books is approaching. Usually when I get a request to place an ad to support some cause I'm busy and miss the deadline.  This year I'm planning ahead.

While working in the engineering field for a quarter century there was an old saying that still rings true. "No matter how loud the beancounters scream they cannot have creativity on demand."  Suppose there area similar sayings for authors suffering from writers block or athletes in a slump. 

Brings me to my question - Any Ideas..?  I need a kick start!  Thinking something funny and memorable that is running and real estate related that can be used when children are selling space in an ad book to raise money for their school or sporting event.

When you are Coming to Connecticut -  Contact Dan Cummings - The Running Realtor for help with Real Estate.

Recently I was discussing real estate in my marketplace with another agent and came to the realization that not everyone is familiar with my section of the state.  Most people from other parts of the country think of Connecticut as one of those tiny specks on the map. 

Land wise we are the 3rd smallest state consisting of just over 5000 square miles. To put it in perspective if every state was our size all 50 could fit into the area of Texas. Connecticut is a mid-size state based on population.  Our 3.5 million residents make us larger than Vermont, New Hampshire & Maine combined.

The advantage of being a smaller state is the ability to drive to nearby attractions rather quickly.  My location is about the mid-point in the state on the southern shoreline.  Within about 1-1/2 hours we can be in Providence, Springfield or New York City.

My primary area consists of the shoreline towns of Branford, Guilford and Madison plus the more affordable towns of North Haven & North Branford.  Since I am a Connecticut native I am very familiar with many other parts of New Haven County and can offer assistance on an as needed basis from West Haven to Westbrook along the shore or Woodbridge to Wallingford for interior towns.

When you are Coming to Connecticut -  Contact Dan Cummings - The Running Realtor for help with Real Estate.

 If you are looking to improve your running performance try a group run.  The New Haven Runners are the 25th largest meetup group worldwide with over ninety members.  On any given Satrudray morning you'll find about a dozen people ready to go at various paces and distances. 

Our morning route sounds impressive running through three towns but most of the time we run a max of 8.75 miles round trip.  Depending on the desired distance for the day many members turn around early. Going the full length is done in about 90 minutes.   On occasion some members may do a double or some combination for increased mileage.

Beginning at East Rock Park on the corner of Livingston & Cold Spring Street we run north on Livingston Street, turn right on East Rock Road and left on Park Drive bringing us out of New Haven and into Hamden.  The run continues past the entry leading to the summit of East Rock and continues to Davis Street where we turn left towards Hartford Turnpike. 

Running north we stay on Hartford Turnpike until it intersects with Dixwell Avenue in North Haven unless we  turnaround early.  The traffic light at Ridge Road is just beyond the two mile marker so turning here makes it a 4 mile day.   At Sebec Street we reach 2.5 miles for those that only want a five mile run. The three mile marker falls between Jackson Road & Fennbrook Drive and the turn around point for a 10k run is a few steps further at the Vineyard Road triangle.  Mile 3.5 is near School Drive so turning there results in a 7 miler, mile 4 is a few more blocks at School Lane.  

The age group of participants spans from college to middle-age with some quick paced runners traveling at under 8 minute miles while the majority train at a pace of 10-11 minutes per mile.  Currently running begins at 8:00 am Saturday morning, check the calender and feel free to join us.

When you are Coming to Connecticut -  Contact Dan Cummings - The Running Realtor for help with Real Estate.

With the vast capability of the Internet many homeowners relocating to a new area take on the task of exploring their destination before talking to a real estate agent in their hometown.  Sites like Realtor.Com make it easy for prospective buyers to search listings and get a feel for prices.  Some even rely on estimates from Zillow.Com to determine the value of their existing property and use that figure to calculate proceeds available for the purchase a new home.  In reality you don't save any money doing the work yourself, call a professional Realtor for help.

Most of the people relocating quickly discover during preliminary research that the Real Estate field is flooded with agents.  What is not always apparent is that all agents are not created equal.  Some work endlessly to help find the ideal home while others may require several calls or emails before they respond.

In an effort to help my clients enjoy top-notch service from Coast to Coast, North to South, I am constantly scouting to increase my network of trusted professionals.  These are not just names blindly selected from an Internet site or plucked out by someone working in a relocation company, these are agents I know and am willing to recommend because they meet my high expectations.

So Remember - If you are currently residing in Connecticut and planning to relocate call me before investing numerous hours of research. With no cost or obligation I will analyze the market value of your home and I can give you the name of a great agent in your destination state.

When you are Coming to Connecticut -  Contact Dan Cummings - The Running Realtor for help with Real Estate.

As I approach the two year mark since beginning my walking / running exercise routine I began to stagnate.  Since there is no long term baseline for performance I wasn't sure if the normal aging process slows you down as the years tick away but I knew my speed was slowing is because I track way to much data.

Being a numbers nut everything is dumped into Excel and being a gadget guy the data has increased this year.  Last Christmas my newest toy was a heart rate monitor and about that time I gave up carrying the hand held GPS because the batteries didn't last very long in the sub-freezing temps of winter.

So... All this info tells me is I have run over 620 miles so far this year and taken about 1.1 million steps to cover the distance. What it did not do is help me achieve a quicker pace. In keeping my heart rate within recommended parameters I was actually slowing down.

I knew my speed was faster in races or when running with a friend but due to constantly conflicting schedules we rarely seemed to find a mutual time for training runs. 

Finally I discovered the push I needed.  The Runners Meetup!   This morning I did my third run with the New Haven Runners and can see my times are improving.  So far each run has brought out between 6-12 runners that go at various paces and distances but everyone provides incentive for each other. The front runners are pushing themselves knowing people are following and the back of the group pushes their pace to keep up.

Anyone that is training alone and wants to kick it up a notch should consider the group run.  It works!

When you are Coming to Connecticut -  Contact Dan Cummings - The Running Realtor for help with Real Estate.

New Haven Connecticut has a long tradition of fine pizza since the American Pie was born here.  By far the most well known places are Sally's & Pepe's of Wooster Street.  Presidents and Performers can often be spotted in the area, some seeking the limelight others quietly waiting inline.

During his presidential campaign Ronald Reagan satisfied himself with a Pepe's Pie and when Bill Clinton comes to town he enjoys putting on an apron to make a Pepe's Pizza before sitting down at The Presidential Table.  When Robin Williams stop by to see if Pepe's could take care of him he was whisked off to table 10 where he graciously signed autographs while awaiting his feast. Bill Murry, Danny DeVito & even the Fonz prefer Pepe's. 

Ol' Blue Eyes was a Sally's fan but not because he was a ladies man, Frank Sinatra's personal assistant was Sal's brother Tony.  Sally's attracts other members of the musical crowd including Glenn Miller & Michael Bolton.

The New Haven Debate as to which is better, Pepe's or Sally's will never end.  I'm not a fan of long lines and slow service so when in New Haven my selection is Modern!  Being a native of New Haven County I can find a good pizza in most of the surrounding towns.  Growing up in West Haven one of the favorites was Zuppardi's.  To this day I still hear stories passed down to the children about an early date with my wife.  Being a guy with a hefty appetite I always ordered one size - Large!  Well, my wife wasn't much of an eater and one slice was her portion, of course being the practical & thrifty type I couldn't let it go to waste.  Since we were heading out for a movie after dinner boxing it wasn't an option so I finished it myself..  Never expected it to be considered an Amazing Feat!

On the other side of New Haven I used to stop at Sorrento's in Hamden or Angelo's in North Haven but after moving into a new buildings I don't think they retained their original quality.  Bilmonte's Pizza Castle was another Hamden favorite but sold out to Eli's, only been there once.

That gives you seven choices for pizza around here.  Enjoy!  

When you are Coming to Connecticut -  Contact Dan Cummings - The Running Realtor for help with Real Estate.

For 10 years we've been spending time on Androscoggin Lake in Leeds enjoying the relaxing days of summertime, water skiing, fishing or just lounging in the sun.  This year I decided to haul the boat home early and spend some time on Long Island Sound so when we were in Maine for Labor Day weekend I stumbled into a day of historical activities.

The day started early with my cousin showing up at 7:00 am for a five miler.  He was a runner years ago before medical issues caused him to stop but was trying out one of those hand peddled cycles for the weekend so I ran as he worked his arms.  After the run/ride we decided to take a short hike up Monument Hill.  When we returned there was a historian sitting at the start of the trail with a display of information. The Monument was one of the attractions of Historic Leeds Day.

The town historian was able to provide an accurate accounting of the monument and put an end to all the false rumors as to the history of the hill. After an interesting discussion we stopped by the old town office to pick up an itinerary for the day's activities.

There were about 12 sites open ranging from old Churches to private homes.  One of the homes we visited was The Lynn Farmhouse.  The Lynn's purchased the run-down farm in 1959 as a summer home and kept a few rooms in original condition.  The house was built around 1810 and for many years was the home of the Albert Bryant, a mail carrier nearly 100 years ago.  In 1910 he commissioned Charles Phillips to paint several scenes directly on the living room walls to save the cost of canvas.

The room even contained an old crank telephone from the days of the party line.  I remember as a kid visiting relatives in Maine when the party line was still in use within the rural towns.  This was back in the '60s so they all used fancy new Rotary Dial Phones on the Party Line.

Also of interest was the boat ride to The Indian Carry where the first town settler, Thomas Stinchfield met about 500 Indians when he came to the area in 1777 or 1778.

If you are looking for some activity in the Greater New Haven area for a hot Friday night come over to the dark side.  Taking the stage at the North Haven Fair this evening at 8:00 pm is John Caffery & The Beaver Brown Band.

The North Haven Fair has over sixty years of experience bringing great entertainment to the area.  In addition to the musical events you can find plenty of fattening foods and amusement rides.

If country tunes are more your style you can see the Top New Male Vocalist - Chris Cagle taking the stage Saturday at 9:00.

Fairgrounds are conveniently located off Exit 12 of I-91.  Click Here for more information about the fair.

When you are Coming to Connecticut -  Contact Dan Cummings - The Running Realtor for help with Real Estate.

The results are in for the 30th Annual New Haven Road Race.  Weather this year was perfect... a crisp Labor Day morning with blue sky and sunshine that brought out a record number of runners exceeding 5,000 for a day at the races. 

Events began with the Half Mile Children's Run around the Green.   The new earlier start time of 8:15 allowed more adults to cheer the 280 kids on to finish their race.  Rounding the corner of Temple & Elm with a commanding lead was 13 year old Jeffrey Raucci who crossed the finish line in at 2:52 running at a pace of under 6 minutes per mile.

This was my second year running so I stayed with the 5k race that drew a field of 2,223 finishers.  Since I normally finish in the middle of the pack I don't worry about losing a little time so I stopped for a photo opp after the water station.  My finish in 1033rd place was 5% ahead of the mid point of all runners and about 5% behind the middle of my division of men 45-49.

The BIG event in New Haven is the 20k Road Race that is the USA National Championship.  It draws in runners from all over the country seeking prize money that is awarded to the top 10 finishers in both the Mens & Womens division.  First place receives a $7,500 payday and the cash dwindles down to $200 for tenth place. 

In the Mens Division Dan Browne took first place with a race pace of 4:47 per mile.  Dan is a West Point Grad and was commissioned with the Army's World Class Athlete Program training with a team of soldiers before accepting a spot as one of the original members of the Nike Oregon Project.  Taking Second place was James Carney with a pace of 4:48 and in Third was Jason Lehmkuhle finishing in under an hour with a pace of 4:49 per mile.

The Women's Division also saw top ranked runners in the money.  First Place was Alicia Shay, Second went to Elva Dryer and in Third was Kate O'Neill all with a pace of under 5:30 per mile.

Maybe next year you'll see Dan the Running Real Estate Agent do the 20k in New Haven.  Don't expect to be in the money though, my pace would be about twice that of these world class runners.  In the meantime if you or a friend needs asstistace buying or selling real estate around New Haven, Connecticut you can contact Dan@CummingsTeam.com

Labor Day Weekend traditionally marks the end of summer and due to conflicting schedules all season we never had and opportunity to connect with Ann Cummings until this trip.  In all my years traveling between Connecticut and Maine I have never taken the time to actually visit Portsmouth.  For a city with a population of just over 20k it is surprisingly active.  The Market Square area is a great poke around place with plenty of shopping.

Ann's husband, Bear scurried us off to a back alley that most tourist will never find.  Sitting dockside we had a view of the port and off in the distance the bridge connecting New Hampshire and Maine.

We enjoyed some food and drink while discussing the area and of course ActiveRain.  Flat Matt even made an appearance since he's been keeping a low profile for the summer months.  Next Ann gave us a quick Relo Tour of the town before darkness set in.

Our normal trip of under 5 hours turned into a 10 hour adventure. After leaving Portsmouth we traveled north to Freeport for a stop at the 24-hour L.L. Bean Store then continued on to our Cabin on Ann Street.

For more information about Real Estate along the Connecticut Shoreline contact Dan or Sandra Cummings.  When you are looking a little further north in Portsmouth N.H. or Southern Maine contact Ann.