Regarding the no-heel striking, I absolutely agree, but what I did was tip-toe running - not just no-heel-touch running. I always wear Feiyue (shoe brand, Chinese monks use them), walking, running, playing sports or whatever, so I never heel-strike.
It was a mix of insufficient conditioning and a horrible attempt to follow descriptions of "barefoot running" instead of following in my instinct and do what I always do. *Facepalm*