Treadmill vs. Outside...and my early Vibrams report

Tonight was my first evening run at the lake since I started back at this. I did the treadmill on Monday and that felt pretty good, but there isn't much that beats the lake at sunset. There are pros and cons for both the lake and the treadmill:

Pros:

Outside (the Lake):

- actually running somewhere and not in place
- being outside in the quiet, by myself
- I work up a real sweat outside, I push myself more outside than when I'm on the treadmill

Treadmill:

- close vicinity to a restroom at all times
- no scary wild animals (don't laugh, I've seen more than one pack of coyotes at the lake while running)
- definitely easier, more comfortable being inside (especially in the summer)

Cons:

Outside (the Lake):

- BUGS! Ugh, I totally forgot about the bugs. I saw a swarm of gnats that was the size of my car.
- crazy bikers with no headlights and no warnings (I know not all bikers are crazy, this is aimed at the inconsiderate ones.)
- the few restrooms that are available are not always desirable places to do your business (especially in the dark)

Treadmill:

- I always feel self conscious about getting the machine set up with everyone watching.
- I also hate that the treadmill shakes and makes noise while I run, it annoys me.
- One word: BOR-ING.

It felt good to be back outside for a run today. Thanks to DST I can get out there at 7:30p and still finish before it's pitch black out there. I got to my car just as the last of the light was going away, so I never felt nervous about it being too dark - just the way I like it. I had a really tough time on the first couple of running stretches - I'm doing 2 min walk, 3 min run alternating for 30 minutes- and I had to really stretch my legs a little. By the time I turned back to do the second half, I was feeling much better. I'm not keeping track of mileage yet, just trying to build up to a full 30 minutes of running.
I'm still getting used to the Vibram shoes, but I will step out with an early review and say that it does feel great to run in them. The only complaint I have is that my calves are TIGHT and SORE. Having to change my foot strikes to be more forefoot and less heel has been really interesting. At first it felt like I was running on my tiptoes, but after a couple of weeks, it's starting to feel a little more natural. Truth is that even when I get tired and accidentally go back to the heel strike, it freaking HURTS in those shoes. So at least it's tough to do it badly since the consequence is fairly immediate and I know that the calf soreness will get better the more I get out there. But seriously, it feels awesome running in this shoes. I put my old shoes on for a treadmill run last week and it was terrible. I think one reason is that I wore flip flops or went barefoot nearly 24/7 for all of last year. Since my feet swelled so much during the pregnancy, I just stopped wearing real shoes and putting on those clunky running shoes (Nike Vomeros) felt really stifling and awkward. I wore the Vibrams for my treadmill run on Monday and it was much better. Oh and the best part is that I've gotten to be a pro at putting them on, which was really tough at first. I can get them on in no time now.
I'm targeting a 5K in May and I think that if things continue to go smoothly and I take it slow, it shouldn't be a problem to run the entire race - no time goal, just run the entire 3.1. There are a couple of half marathons I have my eye on, but one thing at a time.