Sore foot again

RunShonaRun

I really thought I was getting somewhere with running / weight loss a couple of weeks ago.  I was running 3 times most weeks and adding on 0.5k to at least one run each week.  Just over 2 weeks ago I ran 6.5k and in the last 0.5k my left foot became sore.  I ran again 2 days later (only 4k) which was okay, but the pain was there, so I rested it for a week (did some swimming and cross-training instead) and then I have had a rotten virus for over a week now, so it's a full 2 weeks since I ran.

Went out for a run today and had to walk after 2.5k due to breathlessness - to be fair I still not over the virus, so not too bothered about that.  But just AFTER I stopped running and started walking, the pain was back in my foot.

It's on the outer aspect, sort of on the sole but right at the edge of the foot.  Massage doesn't really seem to help.

Should I just rest it again - but how long for? 2 weeks obviously wasn't enough.  Should I see a physio (and how do you even go about that - will a GP refer for something like this or should I look for a private sports physio).

I have some 'barefoot shoes' that I haven't tried yet - my opportunities to go running are limited, so I haven't yet found 'spare' days where I can do as short a run as seems to be recommended to start off with.  I did wonder, though, whether this sort of thing would be better with these shoes.  Should I try to build up runs in them and leave off my normal shoes?  And if so, do I wait till the foot seems better or just try it and see how it goes?  And how slowly do you have to build up anyway - I've seen suggestions of starting at a mile and increasing by 10% per week, but that would take weeks to get up to the distance I was managing before.

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Or, seeing as I didn't actually feel any pain till I stopped running, should I just run?

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Or is a podiatrist a better idea than physio given its a foot? What exactly do podiatrists do - and, again, how do I find one?