Mizuno Wave Rider 20

I was sent the Mizuno Wave Rider 20 running shoes for free as a Fitfluential Ambassador in exchange for my honest review. I have never worn Mizuno's prior to this review.  Let me just tell you, I was in love with the BOX, so I had high expectations before even putting these sneakers on my feet!  lol

When I saw the blue color, I was completely smitten.  Just beautiful.  However, I'm not going to lie - I usually run with a very lightweight shoe.  The only time I usually wear a heavier shoe is when there is snow/ice on the ground.  I was a little nervous to test these out, as they are much heavier than what I usually run in.

My first time wearing them was during my usual 4 mile run.  The first thing that I noticed was that my legs felt extremely heavy.  About a mile in, my toes started to feel like they were falling asleep and then they went numb.  I don't know if I was just sore from lifting, or it could have just been my head messing with me, telling me that I am going to hate every second of my run because the shoes are heavier than what I'm used to.  I did not enjoy my run one bit.

I tested them out again a couple of days later on another 4 mile run.  My legs didn't feel heavy at all, which leaves me to believe my prior run was sucky because of fatigue, not the shoes.  However, my toes went numb again about a mile in and seemed to get worse as the run went on. The rest of the shoe felt amazing.  The heel fit snugly, and the cushioning was perfect.  I did some research when I got home and decided to try to loosen the laces a bit at the toe box to see if that would help with the numbness.

So, off I went again a couple of days later for another 4 mile run.  I was nervous, because I really didn't want to have to deal with the pain and numbness in my toes.  However, this run was much different.  I didn't have any issues with my toes on my right side, but I'm guessing my laces weren't as loose on the left, because I had slight tingling.  It felt nothing like the first 2 runs.  I was able to focus on my run and not focus on what was happening with my feet.

One more run, and I think I finally got it right.  No tingling, and no numbness.  While I think the toe box could be slightly larger, I do think this is a pretty solid shoe that just requires a little bit of breaking in.  I did not wear them around the house at all prior to running, so I probably could have saved myself any issues if I would have just done that.  I will definitely be wearing my Mizuno Wave Rider 20's to get me through my winter runs.  They are a solid shoe that are quite honestly better for my feet than the shoes I normally run in.

Appearance - *****

Tread - *****

Weight - ***

Comfort - ****