Barefoot Running

I have a passion for nature. It causes me to do crazy things sometimes, like live in the bush for weeks, put feathers on my backpacks, etc. Recently I stumbled across barefoot running (sorry for the pun). It turns out it's actually gaining quite a following. I was quite interested in it since it said that shoes were not only unnecessary, but actually weakened our feet. Furthermore it said that running barefoot would improve running efficiency and minimize injuries, since any flaws in technique would instantly be felt via pain. So today I tried it. I've actually been walking around barefoot as much as possible the last couple weeks, but today I went out for a 1.5 - 2 km run just to try things out. Luckily I had some hydrogen peroxide in the closet. I'm missing skin on both big toes and the baby toe of my right foot. I've also got a sweet blister on the front pad of my left foot. Not too bad for a first round though I think. I'm sure the skin will come back soon, twice as thick and then I'll be back it. Practice tomorrow will probably be hell though.
The change in footstrike is actually quite amazing. With running shoes on, for distance work I typically land on the heel where there is about an inch of cushion, and then roll onto the ball of the foot. Running barefoot though you feel that impact on the heel right up in your teeth. Instead I was landing more or less on the front pad and ball of the foot and using the ligaments and muscles of the calf to absorb impact. It felt light and fast, now I just need some plantar fascia to build up and I'll be all about barefoot.