I now have four pairs of Wave Inspire Mizuno running shoes in my house.
I got a new pair this weekend, got my previous pair at the end of May, got the pair before that at the end of January, and probably got the pair before that last fall. I may have had a pair before that, but I’ve donated my older running shoes so I can’t be sure.
I am a firm believer in getting new running shoes every 300 miles or so. If I keep running in shoes much longer than that, I notice new aches and pains flaring up. Maybe it’s psychological, but it’s a small price to pay for “insurance.”
My very first pair of running shoes were Nike Shox. My husband got them for me because they looked so cool, and I was thrilled. I didn’t know anything about pronation, or stability shoes, or specialty running stores. I figured that running shoes were running shoes and that you could choose your shoes by style and color.
Once I got into running and started reading Runner’s World and meeting other runners, I learned how important it can be to have the right shoes for your gait. I went to my local running store, and found out that I am a mild over-pronator and do well in a light to moderate stability shoe. Since I was new to running, I tried different brands and styles of running shoes–I’ve had Asics, Brooks, New Balance, and now Mizunos.
One great thing about the running store I go to is their return policy. You can return shoes within the return period even if you’ve worn them, as long as you wear them on the treadmill to minimize wear. After a while I noticed that when I tried a new brand of shoes, I ended up returning them after a few test runs because something didn’t feel right–either the shoe irritated some spot on my foot, or I noticed a new ache. I decided that having a shoe that I knew was right for me was more important than trying something new, or getting the style that my friends were raving about. My new policy became “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Now, sometimes manufacturers “break” a good shoe when they tweak the model for their annual update, so I still approach new models with caution, but I’ve been lucky with my Mizuno running shoes.
It’s a bit ironic that I am writing this after buying a new pair of quasi-minimalist shoes, but I am dipping my toes into the minimalist waters cautiously, with no plans of going off the deep end into Vibrams! The shoes I selected have some stability control, and are at the structured end of the minimalist spectrum. I plan to ease into using them very gradually, and use them only on the treadmill, at least until I am confident that they are a good alternative shoe for me.
Do you have a tried-and-true running shoe?
Have you tried any minimalist shoes?
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I was the same when I started running. I didn't know there was any difference, a running shoe was a running shoe! Now I run in Saucony Kinvaras & love them! They are more minimalist, which suits my mid-foot strike just fine. The running store told me I'm also a mild over-pronator, but I went with what my gut was telling me after I did tons of research. I'm glad I did! I love my Kinvaras 🙂
I've always been a running shoe snob, thanks to my marathoning father, but I've gone through a few different ones. I love my Brooks Ravenna now. Love, love, love, love, love.
My shoe corner looks like that too. I'm loving my Saucony Pro Grid Rides. I stocked up on eBay when they released a new model. I've got 2 pairs that I rotate and a 3rd older one that I wear on non-running days. I still get toe bruises on long runs, but I tried a shoe with a bigger toe box and my knees hurt. So, I'll deal with toe pain.
I bounced around from Asics to Brooks until a guy at an expo showed me the Brooks Ravenna. It continues to be my shoe of choice as long as I can find it. I actually just bought a pair today although I don't need anything until late winter. I do rotate a pair of Brooks Ghost into the rotation once or twice a week now. I think it really helps keep my legs fresh to use a neutral shoe once a week. I'm still having troubling convincing myself to buy a minimalist shoe.
I'm also a big Mizuno fan! I run in the Wave Alchemy and love it 🙂 I pronate a lot so I really need more of a stability shoe so I haven't tried anything minimalist, I think it would be bad for me.
I used to be devoted to the Brooks Beast. I ran in these exclusively for about 8 years. Last year I bought a pair of Nike Free 5.0s last year to work into easy runs or short track workouts. I started using them more and more and eventually they became my full-time running shoe. Actually, I alternate now between the Nike Free (now up to 7.0) and the Nike Free Run+ (now on the 2.0 model). In the last 18 months I have bought three pairs of each model (yes, I am running out of room). However, I am leaning towards bringing Brooks back into the fold. Their new Pure line feels great and I think I will end up getting a pair of PureFlows to alternate with the Nike Free Run+ 2.0.
May I please buy those Wave Inspires on the left from you?