Well as I discovered my PF when away when I spent two weeks without shoes (although I’d stopped running some time before this). I would suggest the best plan to be buy yourself some barefoot shoes and just spend a couple of weeks walking around in them and don’t wear any other shoes this whole time – heels I think are the real problem as they allow your calve muscles and achilles tendon to shorten. If your PF improves then you’ll have answered your own question, then you can start BF running if you want. You’ll have to start with barefoot walking anyway to get your feet ready, but if you have to make time to do that actually barefoot, it probably won’t happen. With barefoot shoes you’ll just be conditioning your feet without even thinking about it.
Let me know how you get on. The only barefoot shoes I know about are VivoBarefoot (google them). I have the Ra for work and have just bought the Oak for leisure.
Oh, and as for how to start, I suggest you read my whole blog, it’s not long. See all the posts here. Or at least see this entry for my programme. Oh, and check out Vivo’s Training Clinic here. That’s where I started. But basically read as much as you can and find your own way. If my blog is of any help then I’m pleased, as I struggled to find any full accounts of anyone’s conversion, so really wanted to document mine so that someone else could perhaps benefit.
Oh, and am I convinced? TOTALLY.