When I first started BF running I began on a treadmill.  Shortly having started that I decided to run on the beach instead.  Super soft surface that my foot would sink in some.  So I could still heel strike, but the muscles would strengthen well with the unstable surface.  At some point I went back to the treadmill.  Then I moved onto the local outdoor university track.  The track is softer then the city streets for sure.  However as a new BF runner it is certainly rough on your skin.  It will sandpaper your skin in those early stages.  Eventually I worked up the courage to hit the real streets. Looking back I feel I really wasted my time on the treadmill. The surface is not fun, machine is kind of bouncy, computer is not accurate, etc. In fact last time I ran it on a rainy day after I started BF running. My feet actually hurt running on it. Never have hurt like feeling on other surfaces BF. So I figure I won't be using the hamster machines anymore.  

Lately I've been mostly training the BF running on surfaces #3, 5, 6 as shown above.  The Trinidad run I'm doing soon has some fairly rough road surface on the northern portion about 3 miles worth to start the run.  Then I get a brake with some newly paved smooth road surface for a mile, or two.  The rest after that is not too bad with a few very short sections of very difficult surfaces.  The roads in the area are really old except for the one new paved area.  So I'm really trying to train more on some of the more difficult surface conditions.  In dry conditions I do well with most surfaces.  I still have a tough time with gravel type roads.  though I can run, or walk on them fast.  It is just not that much fun....yet.  In wet conditions it is much more of a challenge on most surfaces.  Though I never get blisters which tells me my form is good.  I just got that one blood blister which was a good learning lesson.

I've also found on non running days I wear something on my feet so the skin can recover, and it makes it easier to walk around.  Not all the time it really just depends on what surafce I decided to run on, and for what distance. At home I may wear a sock.  Today I wore a vibram five finger sprint shoe to do errands.  Sometimes it is just more comfortable.  I probably did too much running on my Friday run.  Though I want to go back one more time to run that section of road again(the northern section of the Trinidad run).  On my Sunday run my feet were still a bit tender from the Friday run.  Combine that with the wet surfaces on the Sunday run, and it was a challenge.  Though I also ran the first half of Sunday run faster then normal so I guess my feet were not that bad.

How do I care for my skin ?
 I have skin moisturizer, and a pumice stone.  I lotion up usually at night, and use the stone as needed.  I find the stone helps to smooth out skin that is rough, etc.  The skin on the bottom of my feet are actually very smooth, and healthy looking most of the time.  After a run the skin can look a little beat up, but that passes quickly.  I feel maintaining skin health on bottom of feet with this activity is important.  As funny as it is the bottom of my pumice stone looks like a foot print.......

pumice stone shaped like bottom of foot