A few questions: walking speed, carrying a backpack, heel landing, running

1.  I've been trying to work on glidewalking and part of why it's taking me so long to "get it" is that it feels slower than normal and this really frustrates me.  When trying to get somewhere, I end up falling into old habits (especially on hard flat surfaces--for some reason it's easier to have decent form on a rough trail).  Is glidewalking supposed to be a little slower than walking with less-than-optimal form can be, or is it just a matter of needing practice and strengthening of the right muscles?  2.  Do you have any tips for maintaining proper walking form while carrying a backpack?  How does it change with carrying weight on the back?  I like to hike and want to prevent injuries (had a nasty case of IT band syndrome last year from hiking/running and really don't want to repeat that fiasco or any like it) so this would be helpful. 3.  The bit about the heel landing first just doesn't feel right to me.  Maybe it's because I spend a fair amount of time barefoot or in minimal shoes (Vibram FiveFingers etc.) but having the outside midfoot touch down first feels much more natural, especially on rocky trails and hard surfaces. 4.  Any tips on good running form?  I've been running in the aforementioned Vibram Five Fingers and occasionally barefoot which has helped a lot (now I don't know how anybody runs in those clunky padded shoes with elevated heels), but I still seem to fall into sloppy form when running on roads sometimes.