Mizuno Wave Sayonara – (see link at: http://www.runningfree.com/products/Mizuno-Wave-Sayonara-p35537/?pstart=1)
The Sayonara was designed to replace two shoes, the Elixer and the Precision. I am not sure how they can do this since I found those shoes to be very different with my personal preference being the Elixer model because it felt like it had more stability. The Sayonara is a lightweight shoe and features Mizuno’s wave technology. Mizuno is hoping they have designed a shoe that can be used as a daily lightweight trainer, which is also light enough to be used for racing.
Here are some of the specifications:
heel toe drop – 10mm
weight – specified at 7.9 ounces for a men’s size 9, (as a reference, the same sized Precision is 9.5 ounces so the Sayonara is quite a bit lighter than its predecessor).
I purchased the Sayonara to try something different than the Elixer 7 shoes that I loved. The only complaint I had with the Elixer 7 was I would wear through the sides where my pinky toe was. I was told that this was taken care of in the Elixer 8 by strengthening and reinforcing the toe box. In speaking to the Mizuno rep, I was told that I shouldn’t have the same issue with the Sayonara. At this point, it is still too early for me to make a conclusion on that. I must be honest and admit that I have only really used the Sayonara for daily shoes to walk around in. The reason for this was I had pacing responsibilities at a big race and didn’t want to risk injury by trying something new. My wife had tried the Sayonara during a Mizuno demo day and she disliked them. She had been previously wearing the Precision. Combined, we represented both shoes that the Sayonara was designed to replace. Her feedback on the Sayonara after a 13k run was that they were really uncomfortable on the balls of her feet. Another friend who tried the same type of shoes for the same distance also made the same comment, that they made his toe box go numb. This could be due to the lower lift that the Sayonara’s boast.
For me, I have now run about a month with them doing everything from speed work to long slow distance runs. I am not sure if it is because I broke them in by using them for daily walking, but I must say so far I am nicely surprised, especially considering what I was expecting due to other’s feedback. The shoes offer excellent traction in a variety of terrain and weather conditions. The toe box is roomy and instead of stitching the shoes, they manufacturer decided to weld the toe area together. The material the shoes are made of seems to breathe well as I just finished running with them in Florida without overheating. As far as fit goes, I purchased the same size as my Elixer 7 shoes. I found that I have more room in the toe box but in a good way. I know some people are recommending to purchase a size smaller than you normally would, but I didn’t find that necessary. I just make sure that I do a good job tying the shoes up so that my foot doesn’t slip around.
In conclusion, I didn’t think I would say this when I first purchased the shoes, but I would actually recommend the Sayonara and consider them a good substitute for the Elixer shoes I am use to.
