My latest order of Mizuno gear arrived, which is always a fun event.
What we have here is a Drylite Cooltouch singlet, a pair of shorts, a pair of Sayonara 2s (left) and a pair of Hitogamis (the retina searing orange ones on the right).
The shoes are easy to get excited about, however the clothes are a more a subtle bit of kit, but more on them later.
I have been running in Mizunos for a bit over a year now and I have never regretted swapping over to the brand. Why you ask? Well I have had a history of lower leg issues, which culminated in a stress fracture in my right shin in 2012. Ever since then I have been very cautious about shoes. Do they have enough support, are they cushioned enough etc? Immediately after my stress fracture I was running in the biggest, heaviest most supportive shoes on the market and I had resigned myself to the fact that that was going to be my new normal. I used to watch people in their light weight trainers with envy. However, numerous pairs of Mizunos have shown me that big and heavy doesn't have to be the case. You can have support without having to wear bricks on your feet. Sayonaras are the latest version of that.
I have used the Sayonara 2 as a race shoe for the last few races I have done. I used to race in a pair of Mizuno Mushas and I whilst I really enjoyed their super light weight, they used to rub my feet and give me nasty blisters. I never did figure out why the Mushas gave me blisters, it just must have been the shape of my foot I think. Whatever the reason, it is not a problem with the Sayonaras. On top of them fitting me better the Sayonaras have just a little bit more cushioning than the Mushas such that I feel more comfortable wearing them over a half marathon. They weigh more than the Mushas did, but are still crazy light, so I have no problems wearing them for racing. What I really like about the Sayonaras though is that whilst I think they are a great race shoe, they actually feel supportive and cushioned enough to use as a training shoe too. Given the issues I have had in the past, having a shoe that is light, but that I feel confident enough in to use for training has been a revelation for me.
With the Hitogamis, the reason for me getting a pair is simplier, it is because they look awesome. I mean just look at them, they aren't just orange, they are ORANGE!!!! It doesn't come out in the photo but they have a cool pattern on them too. Whilst I am very happy with my Sayonaras as my race shoes, everything I have read about the Hitogamis says they are great shoes so I got them to find out. I haven't actually run in them yet, and when I do I don't think I will swap over to them permanently from the Sayonaras, but I might give them a go for a race or two, particularly any shorter ones I do. There is nothing quite like the feeling of running in a super light shoe.
Now, back to the clothing. I never used to give all that much thought to running clothes, shorts and a T-shirt did me fine pretty much. However, more recently I have been giving some of this technical running stuff a shot and I have been impressed by it. Very, very light is the first impression you get and with that comes ventilation and coolness. This stuff is great in Summer and the tropics. A bit chilly for winter I have to say and during the coldest months of winter I usually swap it out for something a bit thicker, but other than that spot on.
So anyway, much new stuff to play with.
No comments:
Post a Comment