Some of you probably already know this, but I signed up to participate in The Mezamashii Run Project. Their “quest” is to deliver a more brilliant running experience to dedicated runners everywhere. Essentially anyone can sign up just by registering here and then some lucky winners will actually get a FREE pair of tennis shoes to try out. I was fortunate enough to be one of these winners! I don’t know how or why I was picked but I was so I cannot give you any helpful pointers on how to register or who to contact- I was simply signed up by my friend Ashley and then an e-mail came that told me I was the winner of some free shoes!
YAY for me I suppose!
So as a heads up- these shoes were free to me but I was not given them in hopes of doing a review or even mentioning it on the blog. I was not paid for this endorsement at all. I simply like the shoes a lot and know we talk a lot about fitness and fitness gear on this fine site so I thought I would share a new finding with you!
So after I received by e-mail from Mizuno USA I logged on and took a look at the shoes they had to offer. I had heard of Mizuno running shoes before and everything I had heard was good. But like most people that are stuck in their ways I was in love with my Asics and not willing to branch out. Especially for a pretty penny.
Why do good running shoes costs so darn much? AHHH.
Ok back to the point. So I logged online and browsed their shoes and was honestly a little overwhelmed by all of the varying “types” of shoes they had. For someone that wanted to get into running, I made the mistake of never really getting my feet checked out to determine what “type” of shoe I needed in terms of support. Luckily, Muzuno has a great way to find out right online! If you don’t know what type of support you need I HIGHLY recommend you click here right now (well if you are at home and able to do a few weird random things). Essentially their “precision fit” test will test how you land, whether or not you have a natural pronating foot, and will determine which type of support shoe is best for you. It will take about 10 minutes or so and like I said, do it at home, or you will look a little silly.
So after I took the little “test” I was somewhere between the control and the support running shoes. Since I was getting a free pair of shoes I wanted a pretty sweet looking pair so I took that into consideration as well. In the end I originally wanted the Wave Ascend 7 trail running shoe but those were out of stock so I got the Musha 4 running shoe and well, I am in LOVE.
Here are those babies when they first arrived.
And here they are pretty on my feet!
So for the first 2 weeks I did Crossfit in my new shoes. This was wearing them about 1 hour at a time in conditions where I was jumping and jogging but not doing for a 5 miles run or anything. I eventually ending up taking some longer walks and even doing some sprints in these pretty shoes when I realized how fast my little Molly dog is.
This past weekend I completed the Hot Chocolate 5K in these babies and my feet felt great. What I loved most about them during Crossfit was how light they felt. Easy to jump the box but still enough support to jump off the footboards for rowing. While I was running I also loved how light they were but I loved the comfort even more. I knew they were there, which is critical for someone that depends on shoes for support, but they didn’t mess with my stride, slow me down, or speed me up. It was as if they sort of just melted into my foot and became part of my run.
Compared to my Asics I would say they felt much lighter and more like a part of my run and less like a shoe. mind you the Asics I made the CHOICE to get are the ones that offer quite a bit of support and I know that Asics has a large variety to chose from so I am by no means saying which one is a better shoe. I do truly believe that you have to test multiple shoes to determine which one is best for you and your run and chances are good your neighbor next door will have a completely different opinion. For me, I really like these new Muzunos and they have certainly made a fan out of me *the whole point of the free shoe right?- well played Muzuno- well played* and chances are even better I will buy another pair and start paying attention to them more.
I’m not giving up on my Asics but these shoes have certainly broadened my horizons a bit. So if you are looking for some shoes- give these a try. I love them. If you are looking for free shoes, sign-up and keep your fingers crossed you get them!
P.S. They also have super cute apparel- that I don’t even own one piece yet so I can’t speak to the quality or whether or not it lives up to what it says it does. But it’s cute. Really cute.
