I have been loving my Mizunos lately as I am on my seventh pair from the brand. Just over the past couple of years, I’ve had the:
Mizuno Wave Inspire
Mizuno Wave Rider 15s (2 pairs)
Mizuno Wave Rider 16s (3 pairs)
And now the Wave Rider 17s!
I really love running in these shoes. I love how light-weight they are. I love that they don’t feel like I am standing in a high heeled shoe. And I love how flexible and responsive they are.
I can wear them for track workouts and they don’t feel too heavy, while they are still durable enough and provide enough cushion for a long run.
Over the years, I have gotten away from shoes will a lot of cushion and structure to them, which is why I like the low profile of the Wave Rider. I especially like this shoe because the heel doesn’t feel clunky or too built up. And even though it has a traditional 12mm drop, to me, it doesn’t feel that way.
My only complaint is that I did get some bruising below my big toe on my left foot after racing a 6K. The shoes were relatively new at that point in time, but I had worn them on a long run, plus raced a half-marathon in them the week prior. I guess just running at that much of a faster pace put a lot of pressure on that particular spot and caused some soreness. It took nearly a month for it to go away, which was annoying, but at least I could still wear the Adidas Energy Boost without pain since they didn’t hit in the same spot.
I think I developed this bruising partially due to the lacing as the laces are angled at the base instead of straight across. I’ve seen other shoe companies do before, so it is not uncommon.
I am not going to fault the shoe too much for this one negative thing because it may not have happened if I would have practiced running at a faster pace prior to wearing them for the race.
The Mizuno Wave Rider is a neutral shoe and should only be worn by those who have a neutral gait, which means they do not pronate. If you aren’t sure whether or not you pronate, go to your local running store and have a gait analysis done. Thanks–that’s my public service announcement for the day!
