&#62; I can attest that there is an adjustment period to strengthen your ankles and calf muscles.<p>My recommendation would actually be to start by toe-stepping through your daily activities (whether with barefoot shoes, socks or whatever) two weeks or so before going all-out running. Starts the process of strengthening the muscles and, importantly, the ligaments around the ankle and in the foot.<p>Toe-stepping should be maintained thereafter, too. It always surprises me that there are people who do barefoot running but revert to heel-stepping when walking. On the other extreme, some people do not put their heels down when standing still, which should also be avoided. Move on the toes, rest on the heel.