Mizuno Wave Sayonara Review

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

These last few weeks I have been testing out the Mizuno Wave Sayonara running shoe. As an ambassador for FitFluential I occasionally have the opportunity to try out new products and I was recently sent a pair of the entirely new Mizuno Wave Sayonara shoe releasing on July 5th. I have been running in my Nike Lunarglide's and Nike Free Run's so I was interested to see how these compare. They arrived about two weeks ago and I have been testing them out on runs ever since. 

Just out of the box!

The Mizuno Wave Sayonara comes in two colors. The blue color is for the men and the pretty pink color for the women. Yes, you may have noticed that my pair is the men's version. Unfortunately, for a girl I have very large feet and Mizuno did not have these produced in a women's size 11.5, while they do make my size in other shoe styles. They offered to send me the men's version and I have to say the bright blue color has grown on me. It's not as girly as the pink and purple, but I have already received quite a few compliments on them at the gym. Do you see the pretty pink ones below? How cute are they? I'm not normally a pink person, but oh how I want these! Maybe they will make them in my size soon? Pretty please Mizuno!

Fun Pink and Purple Women's Wave Sayonara

I started out my testing by wearing the shoes around the house. The first thing I noticed was how light the shoe is. The men's version is only 8.1oz and the women's version is 7.1oz (though weight may vary based on size). These shoes are Mizuno's lightest everyday training shoe yet. The second thing I noticed was how low to the ground these shoes are. This makes the shoes more responsive and I can see myself using these on shorter, faster runs and track workouts. Say goodbye to slow and hello to a speedy ride! 

The sole was really interesting to me. It's a G3 sole that is lightweight and offers superior traction. I did notice that the shoes seemed to be gripping the ground more than my current runners. The rubber sole also allows the shoe to be very flexible. The design on the bottom of the shoe is super fun too! Almost like a piece of artwork. Wouldn't you agree?

I took the shoes out on about five different runs, with the longest run being three miles. I can see putting these shoes into my rotation and using them for speed sessions and tempo runs. The shoes are firm enough to support my knees and feet, yet flexible enough to not feel heavy during speed work, a problem I have had in the past. 

Headed out on a three mile run through town.

The release of the Wave Sayonara fits in well with a new project Mizuno has started promoting. Their Mezamashii running project is described below:  

"The Mezamashii Run Project is an effort by Mizuno to help create a more euphoric running experience — a more "brilliant" run — for more runners everywhere. The word "mezamashii" means "eye-opening" or "brilliant" in Japanese — it's a word that captures the euphoric feeling of a brilliant run."  

Basically, it means transforming yourself and the world through running. Learning from your runs, growing from your runs and sharing that feeling with the world around you. Make that world a better place. I personally have experienced so many freeing moments on my runs and consider myself a member of Mezamashii. Running gives me an outlet, it gets me out of the house and allows me to have time to either be alone with my thoughts or to relax and hang out with my friends by sharing the same passion. For some inspiration from other Mezamashii runners, check out the video below.

If you're looking for a light shoe with superior cushioning and a fun design, you can find that in the Mizuno Wave Sayonara. These shoes release July 5, 2013 and retail for $119.99. With so many upcoming fall races now is the time to invest in a great training shoe and you can't go wrong with the Wave Sayonara. Will you join me in finding Mezamashii running?