full circle...again

So yeah. I'm starting to think doctors know no more about what's wrong with me than I do (or anything I found on Google).

May as well get your opinion, too, Doc...

After about a week (I know! that may be a personal record for following orders) of diligently following the doctors recommendations (cushioned, running shoes all the time, orthotic and metatarsal cushion, no running) my foot began to feel.....

Worse.

Yep. worse. So, today I walked around the house all day barefoot and took the metatarsal pad torture device thing out of my nice flat, wide minimal running shoes and felt unrealistically (like so much better it seemed implausible) better. Seriously, the met pad was the worst. It felt like I had a pointy rock in my shoe at all times. I really think that another day or so of letting my foot be and it will be better. it's still sore in the spot where the met pad was poking me, like your foot would be if you had a piece of gravel stuck in your shoe for 5 days. 

Sure, they look all soft and fluffy. Liars.

I got myself all spun up in the lack of information about my injury and lost sight of the simplest truth: I stepped on a rock. It hurt. I didn't take enough time to rest it before running some more. It hurt more. The end. Barefoot running didn't do it (OK, well it kinda did. if I was wearing shoes I may not have hurt it as much), or make it worse. 

Will I run barefoot again? who knows? I still think it's a perfectly viable alternative and will not rule it out; my form and running enjoyment improved so much last year through barefoot running that I have a hard time dismissing it. Right now I'm taking it easy, still not running or doing any high impact exercise and will reassess in a couple more weeks. I'm tired of not running. That is for sure.