Will I be excommunicated for this?

Excellent advice. Dayrunner's post stands out. +1 to his post and +1 to Gentile's.

I think, Thom, that you just have some pre-race nerves. Happens all the time, especially before a barefoot, untested, distance. Your injuries should be healed in time.

The blisters do indicate some problem. I would suspect pushing the pace a little to hard. You still have time for some shorter, experimental runs. See how your form feels at a 15-30 second slower pace.

Another question is the back up plan. Running with backups is fine, but what have you been running with? The trail shoes might not be a good choice for a road race, the VFF's you have just used in the gym. How do you plan to carry backups? Carrying shoes in your hands is a pain, strapping them to a belt is a pain. I use sandals in a camelbak, but for a half, that's kind of a pain. My back-ups for the marathon was going to be socks in my back pocket, but now my heel injury has me rethinking everything.

I hope this helps and not added to the nerves. I look forward to seeing you there.
 
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I think, Thom, that you just have some pre-race nerves. Happens all the time, especially before a barefoot, untested, distance. Your injuries should be healed in time.

+1!

Very normal indeed!

Another thing to add, once you get your first "barefoot" race done with, especially a longer distance race like a half marathon. It's a huge accomplishment, and second a huge confidence builder to move forward in ones barefoot running journey.
 
Incredibly helpful comments and advice from everyone. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts on this topic.

Rick's likely nailed it, with his pre-race nerves comment. The fact is that I am prepared and in decent half-marathon shape. It's the head stuff more than the body stuff, I think, but the head stuff is certainly enough to deal with.

I'm taking seriously Dayrunner's and Rick's questions about my backup plan. I bought a pair of Vivobarefoot Ultras, and I've been experimenting with them (walking around the house, with and without the sock liner, with and without my Correct Toes -- they're the first shoes I've ever had in which I can actually wear them). I'm going to do a 6 - 8 mile barefoot run tomorrow, then on Monday I'm going to run in the Ultras, sort of as a test spin to see if they'll be more hindrance than help. When I ran the 5K, I carried my InvisibleShoes strapped to my sides, but didn't need them. But that was 5K. Everything is pretty much healed up now and I'm eager to head out bf again. Slower pace is definitely the ticket.

Again, I can't thank you enough for taking the time to reply to my question. The wisdom and patience of people on this forum never ceases to impress me.

BTW, Dayrunner, it's Thom, but if I had a nickel for every time someone called me David, I'd be minting my own trillion-dollar coin. I've been called much worse.
 
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Don't want to belabor this point, and don't want to write a post that's probably better left to my blog, and therefore only read by my wife and two or three fans of an uneventful life, but...

Saturday was my designated long-run day, not having done any completely barefoot running for about a week (I credit minimalist running and cross-training strictly to keeping my fitness up, not toward any advancement in my barefoot technique). I was--how shall I put it--nervous? No, SCARED is the right word. Don't know why exactly, but there you have it. However, I kept reviewing everything you guys said in this thread, about keeping relaxed, about slowing down the pace, all of it. And I'm thrilled to report that, other than a bit of abrasion where my left foot hadn't quite finished healing, the run was an unmitigated joy. I reminded myself to stop and check my soles after every mile or so, and as I began to feel a bit of discomfort coming on, I'd slow it down, consciously pick up my feet a bit more, shorten the stride a bit, bend the knees a little deeper. More than that, I just refused to put any pressure on myself to perform a certain distance or a particular pace or anything else "pre-planned." Earlier that morning, in a yoga class, I'd stumbled upon an intention for that day's practice: "my efforts are sufficient to the day." They were during class, and that carried through to my run. I did a bit under 10 miles, and other than that small abrasion, my feet looked and felt great.

I have to remind myself that it's only been about four-and-a-half months since I started running barefoot. All things considered, I should be (and now, I am) quite pleased with my progress. You all have been an enormous part of that progress, with your willingness to share all that you know with someone who knew virtually nothing. Thanks again. I'm going to be ready for this race, Jonny, in body, mind, and spirit. Thanks to you all once again for the wisdom, support, and encouragement.
 
Phil Maffetone. He has a method which a lot of people subscribe to for training. It's a good method, but really, I believe in doing what works for the individual and not necessarily any specific training method.