Mizuno Neutral Running Shoes

I have been running for real since April of 2008 and that is also when I bought my first pair of Mizuno’s.  I say “for real” because that was when I actually made the decision to train for something and do it right.  Before that, I was a recreational jogger, using cross trainers on my weekly journey around the neighbourhood.  Whether it was the fact that my new Mizuno’s were my first pair of actual running shoes or the fact that they were Mizuno’s, my feet were in heaven!  What a difference between running shoes and cross-trainers!  I have since completed too-numerous-to-count half marathons, full marathons and various distance triathlons.  Although I have gone astray a few times, I just keep on coming back to good ole Mizuno’s.  And I buy A LOT of shoes.

The things I like about every kind of Mizuno are that they fit my wide feet comfortably, without making my foot look humungous!  They also come in a large variety of funky colours; because we all know that it is ALL about how the shoe looks on our feet!  Mizuno’s are also very consistent, in that the good ones are not discontinued.  My favourite type is the Wave Rider and I am now on version #15.  It just keeps getting better and better!  Finally, they get good milage!  I tend to be able to run approximately 600k in my shoes, but I have been able to stretch that as well, especially to wear my training shoes for a particular goal race.  Then, these shoes usually become everyday shoes until the next pair are done.

I do have one small complaint about the shoes in general.  The fact that there is a large open space at the bottom of the shoe, perfect for large rocks to fit in nicely and for snow to build up until it feels like you are wearing a high heeled shoe while running.  For this reason, I tend NOT to wear my Mizuno’s on snowy, wintery days.

I am a pretty neutral runner, but do get noticeable pronation when I get tired, which is usually on every long run!  Recently, I began wearing orthotics to help tweak a knee injury and subsequent surgery and so I can still wear the neutral shoes.

My preferred shoe is the Wave Rider, which is the very same shoe that I started with almost 5 years ago.  So, it must be good if it is consistently my “go to” shoe.  It is a moderate neutral shoe and a comfortable 8.7oz in weight.    I also have a pair of the Wave Precision 12’s, which are more of a performance neutral shoe.  They are 0.7oz lighter than the Rider’s and from what I understand, are marketed as an in-between shoe: one step between a racing flat and a neutral supported shoe. To be honest, I did not like these shoes at first.  They made my feet ache, but I persevered and they quickly became my favourite shoe, especially for triathlons.  They are noticeable lighter and very easy to slip on quickly during transition.  I have tried a few other Mizuno’s neutral shoes, but have found the above two brands to be the most comfortable for my feet.   I also just recently purchased a pair of Wave Ronin 4’s.  I actually had to buy a men’s pair as the women’s did not fit to my foot whatsoever.  They were either too tight in the width or too long in length to make it a comfortable fit.  No matter, apparently up until recently, this used to be a unisex shoe.  The red, black and white colour lines make it look sleek, not in any way too masculine looking.  Wave Ronin’s are considered to be a type of racing flat  and I purchased these to run some faster 5 and 10k races.  They weigh 7oz and are also considered a performance neutral shoe.  My foot (nor body!) is not built for racing flats as I can not go more than 5k without my feet starting to ache in these shoes.  But, at the same time, 5k’s are what they were built for and why I purchased them.  I am sure that I could slowly build longer distances in those shoes.

If you go to the Mizuno website, you will see that they have a wide range of supports, shoes, technologies and colours available.  I am sure if you try a pair, you won’t be disappointed.