Bruises come in several forms...

The only downer from my awesome race on Sunday was discovered when I got home and took off my Vibrams. The bottom of my left foot was a little bit achy. I just thought the muscles of that foot were tired from a longer race. When I took off my shoe, I noticed I had three dime size bruises on the bottom of my foot. After doing some research online, I learned that these are called stone bruises.


Graphic from the blog Miles Behind Me.


Barefoot/minimalist runners can get these from coming down on rocks or sharp objects. Makes sense for me as I just completed a long trail run. There were a number of rocks and spots throughout the course. I did my best to avoid the biggest ones but was unable to avoid them completely as hello I was trail running.

I got on Twitter and Tweeted to the Primalfoot Alliance. I asked about if this is normal and how it is to be treated. I got several responses back very quickly. Yes it is normal as long as their isn't excessive swelling. Rest is a good treatment as well. I was pleased to hear that info as I tend to be a tad bit accident prone.

So I took their advice and got ice on that foot as soon as possible. I have been icing that area daily since then. Thankfully the bruising has gone away. I ran a mile yesterday and had no pain.

I greatly appreciate the Primalfoot Alliance for Retweeting my question. If you are interested in learning more about barefoot running you need to check out their website.