Mizuno Wave Ronin 3 vs Musha 3
Track test: June 16, 2011
Arnold, our sales rep at Mizuno, just can’t treat the folks at Ajax Running Free any better. He showed up a couple Tuesdays ago at the store, and after we returned from our tempo session handed out freebees to many in attendance. Arnold knows something good is happening here and he is doing a wonderful job supporting it. Read on and you will see why.
This track session I planned to ease off the speed a bit. It seemed the 3:20 to 3:30/k paces from earlier sessions had not transferred to race day (i.e. not so great). So 6 x 1 mile, each in 6 minutes was the plan as the goal race is now a marathon in August, and it is time to focus on the big goal.
Arnold laid on me a pair of Ronin 3 race flats to test. Given my stride and foot strike, he thought they might suit me better than the Musha’s that I have been training and racing in. The Ronin’s are flexible and suited for neutral runners with very well developed mechanics. On the other hand, the Musha’s have some good control for mild pronators and are just an awesome shoe for anyone who wants to move up to a race day shoe, without worrying about getting hurt.
I wore the Ronin’s around the office for a week, and a few dog walks too. They are light and slipper-like. Such amazing comfort, except for one small problem. The heel is well cupped and put some pressure on my achilles which has been tender recently. However, walking and running are not the same, so it was off to the track for a proper test. As noted above, not full race pace, but a fast pace with sufficient distance and repeats to detect potential issues.
After an easy warm up mile and a stretch, I tucked into the first mile repeat, an easy breezy 5:55. First impression, these shoes are so light and so comfortable you forget you have feet. Even my achilles wasn’t complaining. The track surface is reclaimed rubber. The tread pattern of the Ronin, diamond shaped, gripped the surface like no tomorrow, as good as spikes.
On the next repeat, my stride naturally adjusted to the shoes. Never has 6 minute/mile pace felt so effortless. Correction on that pace: Jeff Fyfe joined in after the first lap, and I warned him what my pace was, and that I was not getting sucked into one of his 5:15 miles (or less). He still got me for a 5:45, but it didn’t feel like it. I ditched Jeff and settled the next two repeats in 5:57 and 5:55. That’s four miles so far, yet so effortless, I could do this all night.
On a couple of my laps, I paced Megan Fyfe around. She was trying to break through a pace barrier which we sometimes can’t crack – a glass wall if you wish. The idea is that sooner or later if you want to run a pace, you will have to run it even for a short distance. So start with a 400 m lap. Megan was looking for 6 min/mile pace and one lap would be 90 seconds. I had her stay with me for the first 300 m, then sent her off, and fly she did to 84 seconds. And next time it was 83.
The week before, Megan had blown by me at the beginning of our tempo session, doing a 1k stride in 4 minutes. SO WHAT? you might be thinking. This is the what: Megan started running (from almost scratch) with Ajax Running Free about this time last year. And it isn’t just Megan. There are many other new runners who are improving at phenomenal rates. Arnold is so right. Something great is happening at Ajax Running Free.
I was eager to share my newfound secret weapons, and found intrepid Jake was also my size. So he laced up my Ronin’s and I laced up my Musha’s. Like Megan, Jake has recently joined into the programme at Ajax Running Free. He is simply soaking up everything and then applying it, a true student of running technique.
The change of shoes gave me a nice rest. I took off for another mile repeat, going out at the same effort as the Ronin’s (confirmed by my HR monitor). After the third lap my watch read 4:39. Zoinks! At least 3 seconds per lap slower in the Mushas! I picked up the last lap considerably (84 seconds) but that still had me over target pace in a 6:03.
That is when Jake pulled up behind me. Over four laps, I never knew he was there, but he apparently launched a few seconds after I had, then made up the difference: “Why are you running so slow?” was Jake’s first question, cause he knew he should not be keeping up with the likes of me. But there he was. Then he looked at his own watch which read 5:57. It was not I who had been running slowly, rather Jake who had never run so fast. The realization of what he had just accomplished was dawning on him. Then came Jake’s next question: “What is IN these shoes?” Kudos to Jake, and more impressively, to his silent Ninja stride. I never heard him coming.
The Musha’s are a smidge heavier (Ronin: 7 oz versus Musha: 7.8 oz) so the difference is not so much weight but rather how they ride. The Musha’s have mild support. After switching into them, this support was very pronounced, creating an almost rigid setting against the arch of my orthotic. In effect, my leg and foot could not collapse inward – apparently a bit of this motion facilitates a more efficient transfer of energy which is why the Ronin’s rode so fast. How fast? In my case, 3 seconds per lap, or 12 seconds per mile. That is gravy on race day, but you may have to pay for it if you are not careful.
Jake quickly stripped the Ronin’s from his feet. As gobsmacked as he was, he was equally afraid injury would soon follow. A good call, Jake. Two days later, my calfs were rock solid and stayed that way for another two. The motion enabled by the Ronin’s had to be checked, and my calves had been worked hard. It would appear caution is needed, even for a well conditioned runner. Jake was right. Best to get used to these, a few km’s at a time. My next 5k race will be in them for sure; a 10k race too, but not until I have toughened up a bit more at the track.
June 21: I checked in with Jake at our Tuesday tempo today. It turns out the pace enabled by the Ronins had hurt him a bit too, although he was none the worse for wear after some therapy. So a word of caution, make sure you build up mileage in these shoes. Give yourself plenty of sessions to adapt. Jake learned he CAN run fast – but he also learned that speed kills, or at least hurts like hell soon after.
June 28: I stuck to my plan and raced the Musha’s in the Peach Bud 10k. I wisely kept those Ronin’s out of my bag to avoid any temptation. I ran with Scott McDonnell for the first 3k, but then he slipped away. He would finish some 30 seconds ahead. On Scott’s feet? Ronins of course. This just might have been the difference between us. The next time we meet for a 10k, the Ronins will be on my own feet too!
