Meet the Mizuno Wave Sayonara

by - Wednesday, July 03, 2013

The following post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of Mizuno.

For pretty much my entire running career, I've run in Mizunos. Those shoes have gotten me through 7+ years of running and a million races, including 3 marathons, 15+ half marathons and a ton of shorter races in between.

all wave inspires
Just a sampling of my many, many pairs of Mizunos

I've had a chance to meet members of the Mizuno team and every time I talk to them, I'm so impressed with their dedication to customer service and drive to make a quality product that meets their runners' needs.

So when I was given the opportunity to try out Mizuno's newest shoe style, the not-yet-released Wave Sayonra, I jumped at the chance.

#ad Special delivery courtesy of @mizunorunning   So excited to try the #wavesayonara

Mizuno's newest addition to the running shoe family is billed as a light-weight, every day training shoe.

The women's shoe is only 7.1 ounces and it sits nice and low to the ground.

I slipped the shoes on for their first test run last week, a quick and easy three miler to see how things felt.

#ad First run in my @mizunorunning #wavesayonara shoes done! #fitfluential

The shoe felt light and fast, but it wasn't lacking in cushioning. This definitely isn't a minimalist shoe or a shoe I'd just save for my speed workouts. It'd be easier to ramp up distance in this shoe than in some other shoes just built for speed that leave out some of the extra padding.

But of course, since the shoe is being billed as a speedy shoe, I had to take it out for a test run during an interval workout. So last Friday, while storms were raging outside, I headed to the gym for some hard intervals.

Storms not stopping. Treadmill run it is. At least I have my bright @mizunorunning #wavesayonara to make things better.

My workout was three minutes on, two minutes recovery. Repeat six times. The shoes held up great. I was light on my feet and had nice quick foot turnover during the entire run.

So how do these compare to my beloved Wave Inspires?

@Mizunorunning Wave Inspires on the left. #wavesayonara on the right. The sayonaras are part of fitfluential sponsored campaign.
Inspire on the left, Sayonara on the right.

They're definitely different, but the change wasn't too drastic. The biggest thing I noticed was that the upper part of the shoe on the Sayonara was a little stiffer than the top of the Inspire.

You can probably notice in the picture that the ventilation on the top is a little different too, and that the Inspires sit a little higher off the ground.

They obviously both come in fantastically bright colors though!

The Wave Sayonara will be released on July 5 for you to try it out for yourself!

If you're a Mizuno runner, what's your favorite Mizuno shoe?

You May Also Like

7 comments

  1. I've always run in Mizuno Wave Inspires, but all of this hype around the Soyonaras is making me think about trying them out (since I'm in the market for a new shoe anyway.) And the awesome colors don't hurt either. Do you think you would prefer regular daily running in one over the other?

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm excited about a new kind of Mizuno! I've run in the Wave Nirvana, which was discontinued, and now the Wave Rider which I love dearly.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I was a nirvana fan and will be looking for a new shoe now that they have discontinued it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Laurie3:46 PM

    I'm a Wave Inspire. In the newest version it's lighter and more cushioned as well. I see a trend from MIzuno!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I've always been more of an adidas, reebok kinda person but those last few violet and pink MIzunos are so pretty! Maybe I'll check em' out after my current pair wear out... ;)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great review, the Sayonara is an interesting addition to the line. You gave it a really fair shake! For those commenting that like the Nirvana, Mizuno will be adding a new shoe next winter to replace it... the Paradox, It is beautiful. Jess you have done an amazing job reviewing these shoes. Thanks for what you are doing for the running community! I wish you the best!

    ReplyDelete
  7. 2014 Running Mizuno Wave Prophecy 3 mens Runner Sneakers Sale Blue
    In the 2014 Running Mizuno Wave Prophecy 3 mens Runner Sneakers Sale Blue, the first major change that stands out is the upper. Mizuno has done away with the checkered mesh upper seen on the previous version in lieu of a more streamlined hexagonal print. Also gone are all the bold overlays that covered a large portion of the shoe for a seamless fit. The Mizuno Wave Prophecy 3 is built for the smoothest ride ever by taking the full-length Infinity Wave Plate that works in harmony with your foot and tweaking it for a smoother ride with even more shock absorbency. A new midsole compound, U4ic (pronounced "euphoric"), is as cushy as the AP+ technology you're used to but up to 30% lighter so you can run to your heart's content with less to lug around.
    FEATURES:

    WEIGHT: 9.6 ounces
    CATEGORY: Neutral
    UPPER: AIRMesh and synthetic with Dynamotion fit
    MIDSOLE: Infinity Wave Plate and U4ic compound
    OUTSOLE: Durable carbon rubber with traction
    IMPORTED

    One of the smoothest rides around just got smoother. The Mizuno Wave Prophecy 3 features the renowned Infinity Wave Plate, the new and lighter U4ic midsole compound, and just right Dynamotion Fit.

    ReplyDelete