Metatarsalgia?!?

So, it appears that I have metatarsalgia, which feels like a very bad bruise on the ball of my left foot.  It seems to have happened during my run on Tuesday in North Carolina, and, if I can say, it is pretty painful.  But only really when I'm walking in my bare feet.  Luckily, it doesn't really impact my workouts if I'm at the gym since my training shoes are different from my running shoes.  That's the thing, apparently this injury doesn't hurt as much with better padding at the ball of the feet. 

It's interesting how much I'm learning about the human body.  I have to admit that I am kind of flying by the seat of my pants here.  I didn't do any research on running beforehand, and I'm attacking these injuries one at a time as they come up.  First I had Achilles Tendinitis, which was pretty painful, then I had a bruise on the top of my left foot from tying my shoes too tight, and now I have this.  The whole thing is a process, and I'm starting to feel like I'll have to get some advice on how to be more proactive about these types of issues before they get too overwhelming. Although, the approach of tackling these problems as they arise may be the best way to go...after all, how many foot problems could there possibly be?  I've gotta reach the end of them sometime, right?