Testing Mizuno Wave Enigma 5

To say that I go through a lot of running shoes is an understatement.  Last year, I ran over 2,400 miles and went through 8 pair of shoes.  So far at just over the halfway point of 2015, I’ve already topped 1,400 miles.  One of the most important things you can do as a runner is to make sure that you have the right shoes for you.

One week ago, I received a brand new pair of Mizuno Wave Enigma 5 shoes to test out.  I had previously only run in Asics and adidas with one pair of Puma Ignites thrown in.  I was excited to get the opportunity try out Mizuno’s newest offering as I’ve always heard great things about their running shoes.

The shoes felt good right out of the box.  I took them for a 5-mile test drive the first time that I wore them and upon returning home I immediately threw away the pair of shoes that I had been wearing on a pretty much daily basis as I had already worn them too long and had just been waiting to get a new pair.

With a successful run under my belt, I decided to up the mileage on my second run in the Enigma 5s.  Once again, I had a great experience as I logged a solid 10-miler.  The only thing left for me to see was whether the shoes had any speed in them.  Well, suffice it to say that I had my best speed workout since running the Boston Marathon when I averaged 6:43 for 7 miles and logged a 6:25 final mile.  Then, I added another easy 7-miler yesterday.  The only thing that is left to do was to get some really long miles on them which I did this morning with 18 miles to celebrate the Fourth of July.  So, in the one week that I have had the shoes, I have run in them five times for a total of 47 miles.

I like the way the shoes fit my feet and the size is true to what I would expect.  I was also battling some left heel pain prior to wearing these shoes, but the cushioning in the heels of these shoes makes me forget about the pain when I run in them.  That has been a definite plus for me.  And I know this is a small thing, but I like the shoestrings in these shoes better than any strings I’ve ever tied.  They haven’t come untied and I’ve had double knotted shoes come untied in a marathon before, so that matters to me.

I’m very thankful to Mizuno and Bib Rave for making it possible for me to try out these shoes.  I will definitely consider them highly when making my next purchase and I would recommend to anyone to at least give them a shot as a comfortable shoe with cushioning if you log high miles.

Disclaimer: I received a pair of Mizuno Wave Enigma 5 running shoes to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!