Welcome!

I'm just a guy from PA who loves to get out and explore.  This blog is a way for me to document and share my adventures, giving me the opportunity to be as verbose or succinct as I care to be at that moment.  Disclaimer: I'm not a writer and don't claim to be a writer, period.

I began running in 2010, doing a few shorter races: from the 5k distance to an 8 mile trail run.  I ran my first half marathon in Hershey, PA in October 2010 with a time of 2:15:38 then went on to run my first marathon in Pittsburgh on May 15, 2011 with a time of 4:53:48.  Since then, I've decided that I enjoy the gentler training regimen for the half distance rather than the full and have been concentrating on improving my time over 13.1 miles, one race at a time.  I hope to run an ultra at some point because I really enjoy trail running, but the distance is a bit daunting.

I've been hiking and geocaching since about 2008, and have really been delighted with the places I've visited as a result.  I started backpacking in the spring of 2012, basically with the intention of "enjoying hiking for a longer period of time".  I hope to complete the entire Appalachian Trail in sections someday.  On geocaching.com I go by the handle of "sql_geek" and love virtual, webcam and challenge caches.