Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Mizuno Me Likey!


This post is an attempt to capture everything that I love about Mizuno running shoes with info bits from running peeps who I know are also drawn to this global sports brand. Of course, I couldn’t leave out the great things that Mizuno Philippines is doing to nurture the trend of running in the country—highlighted by its upcoming Mizuno Infinity Run—with the hopes of evolving the sport into a healthy lifestyle for Filipinos. 

Me and Me Mizunos 

When my big (US size 13), wide feet were introduced to running in April last year, I said to myself then that I already had my trusty pair of badminton, gum-sole shoes that I can use for the Greenfield City Run in Sta. Rosa. Back then, I didn't have an idea how I'd be able to finish 5km. Oh well, there's walking. Clocking in a super chillax 53:38, Eire and I would later find out that this would be the start of our addiction to running.

Letting myself get into running, what did I need next? Of course, REAL running shoes!

Less than a month later, I decided to shop for my very own pair of real running shoes. There were a number of brands, but I think I was eventually led to Mizuno because of a shoutbox discussion over at Takbo.ph. Aside from the other technologies and features of Mizuno running shoes, I was convinced with their Mizuno Wave technology that promotes both cushioning and stability in all of their models. Check out their site if you want to know more about it.

>> Wave Creation: Me First Pair

After going through the 'mirror gait determination device' (or whatever its real name is) in the Megamall outlet and finding out then that I had a normal to high arch, I ended up with buying a Wave Creation 8, which was on sale since it was an old model. The latest version then was Wave Creation 10. It was also ideal to support my 205-lbs. frame at the time I bought it.

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During my running shoe research, I came upon a neat shoe matrix from the Mizuno USA running site showing the models of running shoes that they had categorized by gait and arranged from maximum cushioning down to minimalistic racing lightweights. For anyone planning to buy a pair of Mizunos, I’d definitely refer them to this link.

Matching each Mizuno neutral pair with another diagram that I found at Road Runner Sports:
Given this chart, Wave Creation would fall under NEUTRAL+ category, Wave Rider as NEUTRAL, and both the Wave Precision and Wave Ronin models in PERFORMANCE NEUTRAL.

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Without any training and direction in running, I just decided to slowly build mileage with my running shoes. I said to myself, “Probably a 25km weekly mileage would be more than enough.” Long distance running wasn’t in my radar then.

Nine races later comprising of 5Ks and a few 10Ks, I was able to do a sub-30 in a 5K race and a 1:03 in 10K. The best thing about the Creation is its cushioning, which really makes running very enjoyable and comfy, considering also that I was a heavy runner. Other runners who I know like the Creation are Edu Fabian and Cyrus, who are both fast runners and active in Takbo.ph. I believe the three of us would agree that one minor downside of Creation is that it’s just really a heavy pair of shoes—13.1 oz. for a size 9. If you plan to improve your running speed, this pair might not be the one for you. The Creation would be great for long, smooth runs.

The latest Creation model that Mizuno launched during the Mizuno Infinity Run Expo last January was the Wave Creation 11, which is a full ounce lighter than the previous version at 12.9 oz (the Creation 10 was 13.9 oz.). I’m sure this big improvement was an answer to peeps who voiced out their main concern about this particular model.


>> Wave Rider: Skipped This One


After nearly 5 months of running with a over 300km in my belt, I had planned to get an 11.3-oz. Wave Rider 12 to complement or replace my Creation. I felt that I had to get a lighter shoe, but still wanted the good cushioning element.

However, I had to skip this one as it felt narrow when I tried it on at the shop. Hmmm…this shoe isn’t for me. A good friend of mine, Neil Barrios, who’s using the model is also bothered by its narrower fit. Jon Trimble, my coach who’s also a size 13 and with wide feet as well, has his feet comfortable with the Wave Rider 10. Probably, that older model would’ve been good for me as well.

I think the Wave Rider 13 is coming out real soon here in the Philippines and if I do decide to get a pair for long runs, I would give its 10.5 oz. weight a try.

>> Wave Precision: Currently Loving My 2 Pairs! :)


Getting the Wave Precision 9 in September was simply one of the best shopping decisions I’ve made! As a gift to myself after running 340km and right after the RotaRUN, Eire and I went straight to Mizuno to quench my thirst for a new running pair.

Running in this pair felt so good and despite having less cushioning, the lightweight quality helped me maintain a decent pace in long distance races up to 21K, capped with a 32K race in Baguio last December. In fact, I got my (current) 27:33 PR in 5K at the Mizuno Run Club mini-race the first time I raced the Precision, and then a 56:51 PR in 10K at Milo just in the second race wearing this new pair. Things started to fall in place for me and running.

First 21K at QCIM (wearing the Mizuno Infinity Run 2009 finisher shirt)

I was so happy with the performance of this shoe that I got a second pair a couple of months ago—the white and orange color this time. This was the pair I used in my first marathon at the Condura Run for Dolphins, where I clocked in 4:12 plus. Of course, it’s not entirely because of the shoe. My weight loss success and programmed tapering (c/o Jon) helped me exceed that sub-4:30 goal.


Other people I know who use the Precision 9 include Natz Garcia, Rico Villanueva, and Jinoe Gavan of Takbo.ph.

More happy thoughts and happy runs!

>> Wave Ronin: Next on My List!

After Condura, I now follow a regular training program prescribed to me by Jon, which is aimed for me to hit at least sub-4 hours in the next Milo Marathon scheduled on July 4. The first part is more of me building up speed and I have an ambitious goal for a 5K race slated this Sunday. I’ll let you know how this one goes.

I’ve been tempted to get a Wave Ronin 2, and I wouldn’t have any second thoughts if I was given the ‘opportunity’ to have my running feet in them. ;) This pair is also being recommended to me by my coach for 5K races and speed intervals. Jinoe Gavan and elite runner Chris Sabal also use this racer.


To spread the joy of Mizuno, I even gave a Wave Nirvana 5 to Eire last Christmas! :D Her name is Sunny.

Mizuno Infinity Run 2010: “Beat Your Own Time”


Aside from the Mizuno Run Club wowness that ended with a blast, the Mizuno Infinity Run is one of the biggest running events staged by Mizuno Philippines every year. Since 2008, about 10,000 runners have participated in this big race and what differentiates this from other annual races is that it is a time trial for you gunning a time against your own time in the previous Infinity Run—hence the theme, “Beat Your Own Time”.

The message alone is very much consistent with my current motivation to run faster than before and I find it very appealing. It’s just me against my running self.


If you joined last year’s Infinity Run and you want to know how much you’ve improved, this race is perfect for you. You can even win if you’re the runner with the most improved time versus your previous record! Even if you weren’t able to sign up last year, having this race in your list would still be a good decision as the previous one was organized successfully with a cool finisher shirt as a nice bonus. 


The packet for the 2010 race includes a special edition Mizuno Infinity bag, and each participant would also get a finisher shirt from Mizuno. And there's more!! Mizuno users and Mizuno Run Club members will also be given extra treats at the Mizuno Hospitality booth. Wow!


Customized Infinity Run medals and prize money will be awarded to the top finishers. They will also receive goodies including Mizuno running shoes and gift cheques, Suunto watches and heart rate monitors, Oakley merchandise, gift packs from Gatorade, NutriBar, Doctor J, and Derm Plus Sunblock.

RACE CATEGORIES:    
  5K, 10K, 15K
  Open, Age, "Beat Your Own Time"

DATE:                          
  April 11, 2010

PROGRAM:                 
  4:00am Check-in
  5:30am 15K Gunstart
  5:45am 10K Gunstart
  6:00am 5K Gunstart

VENUE:                       
  Global City, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City
  Starting Point: Federacion Drive (near NBC tent & the Fort Strip)

FEES:                           
  5K, 10K: P400
  15K: P450
  (non-refundable, w/ P50 discount for 2009 Infinity Run participants)

  You get registered for FREE if you buy a Mizuno Wave Creation 11!

PRIZES:                        
  OPEN CATEGORY: Cash prizes & Mizuno items
  AGE CATEGORY: Medals & Mizuno items
  "BEAT YOUR OWN TIME" CATEGORY: Mizuno items, Suunto watches, Oakley eyewear

REGISTRATION:          
  January 10 to April 4, 2010 at Mizuno outlets

IMPORTANT:
1. Acknowledgment receipts are available upon request
2. Bring race # on the day of the race
3. NO RACE NUMBERS, RUNNERS ARE CONSIDERED UNREGISTERED
4. Race will start at exactly 6am and 6:30am

For more information, just call 757-3160 loc 515 or email infinityrun@mizuno.ph.

The Mizuno Infinity Run 2010 is made possible by its sponsors Gatorade, Oakley, Suunto, Mail and More, NutriBar, and Manila Water. Other partners include Doctor J Alcohol, Beeline Helicopters, BMG Solar Hot Water Systems, and CITGO. RunnerSpeak, Run Radio, Men's Health, and Women's Health are the media partners for this big event.

Mizuno Lamang TVC

Finally, here’s a brief ad of Mizuno that Eire and I worked on just to show how much we love the brand and how we want everyone to join in the Mizuno Infinity Run this April. :) Hope you like it!


Happy running & see you at the Mizuno Infinity Run 2010! :D

76 comments:

Kenkoy Runner said...

panalo! :) sayo na yung GC, akin na suunto ah :) hahahaha

Anonymous said...

wow! a real mizuno fan! :D

truman said...

@timmy boy: ang lagay eh :) hehe san na post mo?

truman said...

@dennis: hardcore fan na ata with the TVC! :P hahaha

Marvin said...

WINNER! :D everything MIZUNO! ;) But my favorite part is the VIDEO!!! I'm an instant FAN! :D

Noelle De Guzman said...

Video pa lang, sold na ako!

Rico Villanueva said...

Haha. Ang kulet! Pero sa totoo lang I reserve my Price (Mizuno Wave Precision) for PR races. Para sa pagtatapos ng kabagalan!

truman said...

@marvin hahaha salamat! :) nilagay ko sa last para, baka di pansinin yung content. :P

truman said...

@noelle kikay: bili ka na ng mizuno? :)

truman said...

@rico: wow, thanks! yet another Mizuno testimonial here! :)

Anonymous said...

lufet ng video! nice lyrics!!!!

pwede!!!

(parang na enganyo ako mag MIZUNO. . . pra matapos na ang aking KABAGALAN!!!) woooohoo

docT

abbyjocson said...

Ang galiiinnng bry! tawa ako ng tawa! you've gone a really long way man!sobrang congrats !!!:)

truman said...

@docT: hahaha get yourself a new pair after your ultra. i'm sure may malalaspag na sapatos dyan. :P

truman said...

@abby: hey there, 70ker and soon to be 102ker! :) thanks! glad you liked the clip.

RPA said...

hahahaha... panalo!

after reading your blog and watching the video, parang gusto ko na tuloy bumili ng mizuno. hmnnnn... konting push pa.. =D

Anonymous said...

huwaw! i got myself the pink wave precision 9 bry :-) i super love it! next in my list is the elixir. congwats on all your running achievements so far... see you around!

Unknown said...

Nice anecdote about your long-running love affair with Mizuno! I'm also drooling after the Ronin2, pang-alternate speedwork at pang-porma shoe, hehe! As for the video, ITS ROCK! Nice one, Bry! Congrats din kay Doc Eire for the great vocals! Impressive!

Unknown said...

Not really a Mizuno fan but will give it a try. RJ

Carinz said...

Hahahaha!! I love the blog!! Panalo ang video!!! I have my first Mizuno shoes, Rider 9, and i love it!

truman said...

@rod: baka isang pitik nalang... :) thanks, pre.

truman said...

@tere: great choice, hoffness! :) cool color pa. bagay yan para sa bilis mo! see you in the next race.

truman said...

@my: thanks a lot! you're definitely right about the ronin 2--both speed & porma! :P getting it already?

truman said...

@RJ: it MIGHT just be the right shoe for you, dude. ;)

truman said...

@carina: hey there! :) tsk, forgot to put your name in the mizuno wave rider list. thanks for dropping by! glad you liked the video. :)

Anonymous said...

oha oha oha winner panalo ang video.

ambo_kulit

Let Guieb said...

Bry, panalo ka na! wala ng kokontra pa, kaganda ng video eh.

Meron akong mizuno shoes pero racing flats at hindi ko masyado ginagamit. Adidas fanatic kasi ako, kaya wala akong isha-share na post.

Congratulations in advance. :)

Let

truman said...

@ambo: hehe thanks, pre. :)

truman said...

@let: hahaha thanks a lot, but i'd rather not expect anything muna. :P baka maudlot! kung short distance races, i think your Mizuno flats will do. :)

Neil said...

Naks Bry, wala pa dyan ang iyong Mizuno running apparels! The Ronin will definitely take you to the finishline ahead of time! Good luck in your training and stay injury-free.

truman said...

@neil: you're right, i didn't include my Mizuno racing singlet anymore. :) baka overkill! hahaha thanks, dude. stay injury-free too! :)

Anonymous said...

i so like the blog. the tvc is a bonus.. galing! *clap! clap* -rona here

daytripper1021 said...

haha nice video bry!

Argonaut said...

Bry aliw ang video... Seriously I am more of an Adidas fan talaga... I havent tried mizuno... I want to but I am afraid to give it a shot... baka hindi maganda...bka.. baka... I don't like how big the mesh is... ok lang ba yun?
Nice post ha.. keep it up!!!

Mikey said...

AYOS ANG YOUTUBE~!

truman said...

@rona: thanks a lot! :) i appreciate your comment on my text post aside from the TVC. :D

truman said...

@daytripper: salamat ng marami! :)

truman said...

@argo: walang lightroom yan ha. hahaha (peace! :D) thanks for your comment...yang baka baka mo dapat mabago yan. ;)

truman said...

@michael: i had help with that one. :) thanks, man.

S. said...

I'm an injured runner who was looking forward to the Infinity Run. I am a fan of MIzuno running shoes as well. Good job!!

truman said...

@cimone: thanks for dropping by. :) oh, sorry to hear about your injury. :( get well so you can get your feet back on the road! :)

Tracy Carpena said...

Nice video! Hahaha. :)

Yup, tapos ang kabagalan with Mizuno. Got my 10k PR with my Lexie (Mizuno Elixir). :-D

So it was a Mizuno companion at Condura. Hmmm. :-)

Unknown said...

my first run for 2010 is this one. 'made sure i registered before i left last january. cool! ang galing ni eire. lol

Jinoe said...

Hindi ka lang dancer. Singer pa. :D

Anonymous said...

Dude, malapit mo na ko mapatakbo. Konting tulak na lang.

Great post for Mizuno and brilliant work on the video.

roi said...

good job! nice vocals!

Anonymous said...

Haruki Murakami says in his memoir "What I talk about when I talk about running" that he uses Mizuno. That didn't convince me quite yet about the brand but I'm sold on running anyway. I'll refer to your post when I plan to buy a new pair of running shoes soon: ) - Sheila S.

Run Kick Smash said...

nice vid! tanggal antok ko hahha.

-Sid

Neknek said...

nice one! this page's now been officially "bookmarked" =)

The Scientist Runner said...

hi:
i have used the wave creation 11 in my most recent runs and find it to be comfortable...perhaps a bit on the heavy side but comfy just the same...
btw.. started a new blog and will add you to my blogroll..happy if you could add mine to yours :-)
The Scientist Runner
http://runningscientist.blogspot.com/

rachel said...

Great blog, Bry! Galing your video! Was that Eire singing?? Gosh, didn't realize you have so many Mizuno shoesesssss! You seem to be the "wikipedia" for everything Mizuno! Haha!

truman said...

@marga: great! that's what i call medium-term planning. :) yeah, eire was a recording artist at that time! hahaha :) see you soon.

truman said...

@tracy: ...and yet another successful Mizuno runner! :D see, see! :)

truman said...

@jinoe: hahaha thanks! ang galing ng number ninyo ha! :) you made us all proud.

truman said...

@brian: maybe a shove would be more appropriate! :P hahaha peace! go get yourself into running na. :)

truman said...

@roi: thanks!

truman said...

@sheila: great, and nice insight! :) i hope this post helps you choose the right running pair for you. ;)

truman said...

@sid: sana nakatulog ka ng mahimbing! :P hahaha sali na sa infinity run! :)

truman said...

@nikki: hey there! :) thanks a lot for bookmarking. ;) happy thoughts & runs!

truman said...

@scientist runner: done! you're in my blogroll na rin! :) you've a nice site too, keep on blogging...& running.

truman said...

@rachel: hahaha thanks a lot! i'll do my best to share what i know about Mizuno shoes, but i may still be far from wiki status. :P hehehe

Brando Losaria said...

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! LSS! hahahaha! ang galing!

at ang galing ni Doc Eire! :P

Lucy said...

woohoooo!!! aylabit!!! :D oras nang tapusin natin ang ating kabagalan!!! :P

truman said...

@brando: until now, it plays in my mind...hahaha :) thanks, dude. :)

truman said...

@eiroo: oras na ba?!? :D tara lets!

Jenny said...

nice, bryan! i'm still waiting for warmer weather here in holland. it's supposed to be spring already, but it's still so darn cold! i did go running a couple of weeks ago, in the snow and icy roads. nadulas lang ako. will mizuno work? does it have grips? hahaha, i'll run tomorrow morning!

btw i linked this on my facebook profile. good luck! ;)

- jenny

Julie @ HotlegsRunner said...

I love it!

truman said...

@ate jen: thanks! :) aside from Mizunos, i think you're gonna need those racket-shaped show shoes. :P

truman said...

@julie: hey there, blue julie! :) thanks for dropping by. takbo lang yan!

Nathaniel said...

Galeng talaga ng idol ko! Panalo na tong post na ito! Dapat manalo ng Mizuno Ronins!!!! Good Luck Bryan Mizuno Wave Runner!

truman said...

@natz: hahaha thanks a lot! ikaw ang idol ko parin, dude. :) i see in dailymile na laging serious training mode ka. good luck in whatever target time you have for any race! :)

joycemorrison said...

wow--such a compleat bryan/mizuno post! =) galing! they owe you, man. ;>

truman said...

@joyce: hey there! :) thanks a lot. i wonder how much they owe me... :P hehehe

S. said...

bry,

post was informative albeit long.
(all good)

solid FANtabulous!!!
i run in mizunos as well. (when i wasn't pilay pa!)

see ya round the runner's bend.
cheerios!

truman said...

@cimone: thanks a lot for dropping by! :)

coffeeaddict said...

whoa, you're such an advocate! I just had my first run last Sunday and am planning on buying my first real running shoes. I thought Im gonna buy nike shoes. but after reading this blog, I am so gonna buy my first Mizuno pair.

Mizuno lamang ang magtatapos ng ating kabagalan... Love the video! :)

truman said...

@coffeeaddict: hahaha thanks a lot! :) be sure to try on that pair of mizunos before you buy it. hope to meet you in a race soon. happy running! :D