Thank you for your concern,
Thank you for your concern, TJ, but things are actually looking good.
I will never go back to any shoe, even a minimal one. Last year, I ran in minimal shoes (Feelmax Osma, which I still use for walking around when necessary, mainly for social reasons) after a few months of barefoot. I had several major injuries (two bouts of peroneal tendonitis and plantar fascitiis in the foot that never had it before). My whole experience with running barefoot and minimally has confirmed virtually every piece of advice Ken Bob gives. I was just too stupid to follow it in the beginning, despite reading about others' experiences with troubles for not following them as well.
My leg length difference must at least an inch. Such abnormalities aren't that uncommon, and our ancestors certainly adjusted to them without problems. If I had gone barefoot from childhood on, I'm sure I'd never have noticed any issues. It's only transitioning to barefoot in middle age that presents the challenge.
When I ran shod (since childhood), I had the smorgasbord of serious running injuries -- stress fractures, chronic plantar fasciitis, ganglion cyst, etc. etc. So shoes never helped and I sometimes tried extra insoles to compensate for the leg length difference with no noticeable positive effect.
Anyway, I am now running on varied and rough surfaces (much slower on the rough stuff) and gradually increasing my distance. If I only ran on smooth concrete, I could have had the relatively quick ramp up that others have. But with chip seal and highly eroded sidewalks (generally worse than chip seal) the dominant surfaces around me, I just have to increase much more slowly.
The bottom line is that for those who are struggling, especially in the beginning, it does get better and easier, even when it seems like it's impossible. Ken Bob's advice can work with mere mortals, as long as we have patience and don't overdo it.