Quote Originally Posted by Selkie View Post
By the way, I've been wearing Vibrams for two years (long walks, around the house, etc).
Because of this, my only recommendation would be to let your calves be your guide. That will take the longest to condition. To be honest, it took me about 6-8 months before I was totally done with calf pain and even now, I feel it when I increase my distances.

Had you not already spent a bunch of time barefoot, I'd have also suggested to pay really close attention to your feet because getting those muscles, ligaments and tendons into 'barefoot' shape also takes care. Of course, you should always pay attention to this, but it probably won't be a limiter for you.

Lastly, ramp slowly and avoid concrete. I notice that when I do runs on sidewalks, I can only take about 3 miles before I really start to feel it in my ankles and feet. On asphalt or dirt or gravel, I can go much longer pain free. I only just realized the other day that it was the concrete that made the difference (and not the different locations, different hill profiles, different speeds, etc). I've read that there isn't much difference in how your body feels concrete or asphalt if you are in shoes, but I can testify that there is a very big difference without shoes (minimal) over distance.