The other day, I got a very special gift in the mail from my friends at Mizuno. A brand new pair of Wave Inspires.

These are the Wave Inspire 8s and I think they might be my favorite version of the shoe to date.

I have been running in the Mizuno Wave Inspires since I started running seriously six years ago. They are by far my favorite shoes in the entire world to run in.

The Wave Inspires have gotten me through two marathons, 12 half marathons and a million other shorter races.


Like most shoes, the Wave Inspires change a little bit with each new iteration.

Most of the small changes in the shoes have never been a problem for me. But if you've been reading a while you might remember the epic problems I had with the Wave Inspire 7s. In short, the size I had been wearing for five years no longer fit and there were a couple design elements that just didn't work for me.


I blogged about it and then frantically scoured the Interwebz for a place that was still carrying the 6s and ordered several pair.


The next day I was shocked to find an email from Mizuno's VP of Running in my inbox, saying he appreciated my feedback on the shoes and offering to send me a pair of 6s if I didn't have any luck finding them.

I was impressed beyond words with Mizuno's amazing customer service.

A few weeks ago, I had the chance to meet some of the Mizuno team at an event in DC and I shared the incredible customer service story, about how one little email made me an even bigger fan of their brand than I was before.

As we were talking, I had mentioned that I was still running in a pair of those 6s I had ordered.

A few days after the event, I was gifted with the brand new Wave Inspire 8s. (Full FTC disclosure, Mizuno sent me the shoes for free. All my opinions on their awesomeness are my own.)


I have since taken them on a few runs and they are amazing. I thought I would never love a running shoes as much as I loved the 6s, but the 8s blow them out of the water.

The 8s hug and cushion my foot perfectly. The laces are the perfect length. Everything just feels right.

Oh and the colors are amazing. I am obsessed with the purple, black and yellow combo.

It's like Mizuno made the shoe just for me.

I can't say enough good things about Mizuno as a company. They obviously took all the feedback they got from their customers on the 7s and used it to make a drastically improved version of the shoe. The Wave Inspire 8s are an incredible shoe, and it makes me happy to see a company that I value so much actually listens to their customers.

A huge thank you to the team at Mizuno for sending me the Wave Inspire 8s to try out. I think I have many, many happy miles ahead!