Some area runners are leaving their sneakers behind to try a more natural approach to training.
From barely-there shoes to nothing at all, some seasoned runners say barefoot running has its benefits.
"Running sneakers provide a tremendous amount of support and cushioning, but they could be hurting us by causing the foot area to move differently," Framingham runner Adam King said. "Shoes are basically doing the work nature intended our feet to do."
A self-proclaimed "fitness geek," King said he's always interested in running improvements and was intrigued by the trend he read about in magazines.
While shopping at Framingham's REI store two weeks ago, King spotted a shopper sporting a pair of Vibram Five Fingers - a thin-soled shoe with separated toes designed to provide some protection from rocks and glass while simulating being barefoot.
That day, he walked out with his very own for $80.
"It took about 10 minutes to get my toes in the toe sections, but I got used to them," he said. "I was surprised how natural they felt right away, like I was barefoot -- which is the whole point."
The 32-year-old runner said he wears them about four times a week, and runs less than five miles. Though he said he gets quite a few confused gazes and questions about the unique shoe, King said the Vibrams have helped his form.
"I run on my feet often. I use my feet from work to leisure. I want them to be as strong as possible, and running barefoot I think will help that," he said. "After the first time I wore them I was sore in places I didn't know I had."
Northbridge runner Tim Doiron bought a pair last summer after reading about the benefits and said the change has improved his stride.
"I tend to strike on my heels, and when you run barefoot you really can't do that. It's nature's nice way of telling you that hurts," he said. Barefoot running "forces me to run on the ball of my feet. When you put on a pair of shoes, you don't always do that."
Doiron, who is 41, is training for the Boston Marathon next month, and recommends runners wanting to lose their sneakers start slowly.
"You have to gradually go into it. I by no means consider myself a barefoot runner; I'll occasionally go out and do it because I like the freedom," he said. "If you do it 100 percent, your form has to be improved. You're going to get pains you're not used to having."
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