I love you ibuprofen

I'm usually anti-pills. I like to tough things out, or wait for things to get better on their own. Or turn to Chinese/Eastern herbal medicine (They're all about that in Japan, where I'm from).
But not when it comes to running. I'd be lost with out my Gigantor tub of Ibuprofen from Costco!

My run yesterday was one of the most painful runs I've had in recent memory. And I didn't even run that long. I thought my legs were feeling fresh, but WRONG! By the time the afternoon rolled around, my body was feeling sluggish. Probably because of my workout on Monday and the fact I couldn't fit in my usual walks during the day. But I was determined to run, so I did.
I warmed up for a few minutes by walking around the neighborhood, and I could tell my legs were just not their regular selves. But I set out on my run, telling myself I could go as slow as I wanted.

Mile 0.5; my shins are sore
Mile 0.51; my knees hurt
Mile 0.6; my right shoe feels way too loose
Mile 1; re-tie my right shoe
Mile 1.2; Oh, wait a minute, this is part of the Marathon course that I'm training for!
Mile 1.3; Wow, how come I've never run on Cathedral Oaks before? It's such a nice road. I can see why they picked it for the marathon.
Mile 1.5; when on earth is my runner's high going to kick in?
Mile 2-3; finally, some form of runner's high, and run through really nice neighborhood, and get super jealous at all the nice homes. I want to live here!
Mile 3.5; my quad muscle feels like they are going to eat themselves
Mile 3.6; I start CRAVING my post run ice pack and ibuprofen.
Mile 3.7; Since when do I look forward to ice packs? A new high, or a new low?
Mile 3.8; My right butt muscle hurts
Mile 3.9; stop being such a wuss Julia
Mile 4.0; need to pound protein shake after run!
Mile 4.56; Running is a mental battle! I ran half a mile more than planned just to show myself I could do it!

So that was my pathetic sort run! Haha. Next time, I will not do a hardcore weights sess before a run. Lesson learned!
I slammed my choc. milk and Protein powder shake immediately after getting home. I've recently upped my protein intake substantially, because I was not eating nearly enough. I wonder if my right quad muscle hurting is related to my diet or not. I've been eating tons of Greek yogurt, edamame, string cheese, tofu, and even added beef back to my diet (even though I really hate beef) to get iron and protein. Am I still not eating enough protein? What else should I be aware of?

I then took ibuprofen and laid on ice packs for about an hour, and moaned and groaned while watching True Blood with my housemate. And ate a big dinner. I honestly was in a lot of pain. I was so worried I would not be able to move at all this morning, but I am glad to report that I feel very minimal pain today! Yay!
All is well. And to brighten my mood at work today, I even did a little decorating:

Flowers always put a smile on my face. And yes. My computer rests upon a phone book. Can you tell the state of CA is in a budget crisis?

Good thing today is my rest day and tomorrow is swimming day! My legs need a little rest :)
I am hoping to go to the movies tonight and watch the Hangover. I heard it's a pretty fun movie!