It's official. I have registered for the Pemberton 50K, a 31-mile (for the metric-challenged) trail race outside of Phoenix on February 14. What else would Paul and I do for Valentine's Day?

For a few months, I have been saying that, if I finished the marathon uninjured, then I would sign up for Pemberton. I've come this far already - what's another 5 miles?

I'll continue to take it easy for another few weeks to recover from the marathon, and then will jump back into some long runs - this time on trails. In addition, I'll be hitting the gym more to build leg strength. I did my first lower body workout yesterday and my butt is pretty sore.

It's exciting to have a new goal - my first ultramarathon!