The much anticipated and latest addition to the Wave line of Mizuno is already in the country: the Mizuno Wave Prophecy.  This flagship model from Mizuno, to my surprise, comes in the form of a trainer and I’m lucky enough to be given a chance by Mizuno to take this handsome shoe for a ride.  Here’s my review:

Mizuno Wave Prophecy

Specifications:

• Cushioning / Neutral shoe
• For daily training, high mileage runs
• Weighs 370g (12.9oz)

Features:

• Cushioning
  • Full length Infinity Wave Plate
  • Mizuno Wave
• Midsole
  • AP+
  • Smooth ride
  • Full length Infinity Wave Plate
  • Intercool
• Upper
  • AIRmesh
  • OrthoLite Sockliner
  • Dynamotion Fit
  • Stretch Mesh
• Outsole
  • X10
  • Pebax Rnew

First Impressions

The first words I uttered when I saw the Mizuno Wave Prophecy as I unbox it at Mizuno’s office was “wow!”  It’s a really good-looking shoe.  Upon close examination on its craftsmanship you can tell that it was really well made—no excess glues or threads sticking out on the sides.  All the materials used were premium and the attention to details was high.  Even without asking for the price, you can tell that it’s on the premium segment.

The first fitting was an absolute delight.  Mizuno Wave Prophecy hugs your feet snugly, but it could be a bit narrow for those with wide feet.

Walking it the first time was a bit weird.  At first I thought it was just me—with all the minimalist shoes that I’m used to wearing, it felt “tall.”  Later on I realized it wasn’t just me—Mizuno Wave Prophecy really is high!  The Wave Plate raises the heels higher than any other shoe I’ve ever seen!  In a way I could say that this is the “high-heels” of running shoes. 🙂

Just by looking at the shoes, you can’t really tell that it encourages forefoot-midfoot strike.  The Infinity Wave Plate makes the shoe look like it’s for heel strikers but it has been extended to the midfoot area as well while maintaining the typical sole thickness in the forefoot area.  All of these combined makes you feel like the shoe is making you lean forward (or is pushing you forward) thus encouraging you to land on your midfoot-forefoot area.

The Tests

The shoe being trainers, I subjected it to two different tests: first in short, high-intensity speed works; and second, in long, tempo paced half marathon distance.

Test #1: Speed work via treadmill

The torrential rains didn’t allow me to conduct a long run outdoors where this shoe is supposedly designed for so I decided to test it indoors with a treadmill and a speed work in mind.  My setup was the usual—starting slow and gradually picking up speed, with some slight gradient.

Because of the “push” effect of the high heels my gradient was practically cancelled out.  This in turn would allow me to do the same routine with less effort, or apply the same effort with higher speeds—I chose the latter.  Before Mizuno Wave Prophecy came along I was only confident to do up to a 14.5kph speed, but the first time I wore it I had the confidence to run at 15kph, and I was able to sustain it for about a minute!  Speed works are supposed to be short so it had to end at that during the first run.  The second time around though I was able to sustain 15kph confidently much longer with traction remaining good.  As a trainer for speed works, it passes with flying colors!

Test #2: Half Marathon via Run United 2

Since it’s quite difficult to find a “safe” 21K route on your own I decided to test Mizuno Wave Prophecy in a race.  By that time it had gained my confidence that it could help improve my speed, but at the time I was baffled why it was a trainer and not a racer.  Could the only reason be its weight?

My Run United 2 race served as a tempo long run.  Being a tempo run, I didn’t have the luxury to spend that much time in hydration stations, and with the huge crowd getting hydration as fast as possible was a challenge.  It wasn’t that hot during the race but it was quite humid so naturally, I doused myself with water as often as I can.  So where does all these water go eventually?  To our feet!  And that’s when I knew why Mizuno Wave Prophecy was a trainer and not a racer.

Looking back at its design, the material used doesn’t allow as much airflow and isn’t as quick-drying as other shoes marked “racers.”  To make things worse the material absorbs a lot of water so by the time I was at Kalayaan flyover’s ramp on the way back, I felt my feet were so heavy.  I actually had to walk a few steps to recover, and had to do the same on that last uphill.  Initially I thought it was the lack of mileage prior to the run, but as I took my shoes off after the race I was surprised at how heavy it got—it was like carrying a small bottle of water!

As they say training should be harder than the race itself, so as a trainer it passed (since I got some heavy training that day) but I shall remember not to use it for my target races.

Here’s a summary of my observations with Mizuno Wave Prophecy:

Pros:

• Premium-quality shoes
• Encourages midfoot-forefoot striking
• Excellent fit

Cons:

• • Premium-price (SRP ₱8,995)

 

Conclusion

Mizuno Wave Prophecy is one of the best shoes I’ve ever worn and is probably one of the best trainers in the local market today.  If it wasn’t for its weight, especially when wet, it could even be good as a racer.  It’s excellent for long mileage runs as its cushioning via its full length Infinity Wave Plate remained consistent, and its fit is great.

Because of its “push” tendency the greatest beneficiaries for this shoe are those heel strikers training to strike midfoot-forefoot as the shoe encourages you to do so, and long distance runners that need maximum cushioning coverage because of the full length Infinity Wave Plate.  The foot strike that the shoe encourages you would leverage on the shoe’s high heels which leads to either less effort or faster speed.

Overall, Mizuno Wave Prophecy is a shoe that I highly recommend if you need an excellent trainer.  The only drawback with having this premium trainer is its premium price tag, but if you’re looking for the best, Mizuno Wave Prophecy will not disappoint you.

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