Most runners have a favorite (and sometimes expensive!) pair of running sneakers, but avid marathon runner Alex Ramsey has decided to forgo shoes altogether.

In a recent HuffPost Live conversation, Ramsey explained that he was spending around $300 on running shoes a year. While barefoot running is certainly not for everyone, in 2010, Ramsey put down his shoes in favor of the barefoot movement.

As he made the transition, he had to change his expectations about running barefoot, he said. His mile time nearly doubled while he found his rhythm. "I was dramatically slower, so I had to learn patience," he told host Nancy Redd. "I definitely embraced that aspect of barefoot running and was able to naturally shift into my own body mechanics. For me, personally, there's something intrinsic about the embrace and the touch of the ground ... and it's through that inward movement that I'm able to land lightly."

Since going barefoot, Ramsey has a new goal: to run across the United States without shoes.

"It's something that's inspired me to really feel the whole nation, from West Coast to East Coast," Ramsey said. "In this way it feels the most natural, and I'm ready to take on that adventure in my life."

Hear more about Ramsey's cross-country endeavor in the clip above.