Mizuno Wave Rider 19 -vs- Mizuno Sayonara

SayonaraMizunoI want to get a few things out of the way before discussing my running shoes.

SayonaraI’m not a hardcore runner who pumps out 20-50km’s within days. I don’t sign up for running races because they make me too nervous. I run on my own, or with my husband and Alfie. I’ve been running on-and-off for close to ten years, I’ve had a casual running coach when I lived in Ontario (Canada) for a few months which was pretty awesome.

I do know that I’m a neutral runner and my strike is … I guess you could say neutral too. I’m not a heel-striker, nor a toe hopper. Did I make that term up? Probably. But I do know which running shoes I prefer, and I can tell you what I personally think of them.

Over the past few years I’ve tried to run in Saucony shoes, Nike Free’s, and Mizuno. To be honest I do prefer my Mizuno’s the most, and have reached out to them while I lived in Canada for collaborations. Then it took me three years to get in touch with the USA crowd. I’m pretty happy to be working with them again.

A few months ago I was sent two pairs of running sneakers to try out. Mizuno Wave Rider 19 and Mizuno Sayonara.

I already know how the Mizuno Wave Rider’s felt like, because I had already owned and loved a pair. I must say, working with them came at the perfect time. I was in the process of placing an online order of Mizuno Wave Rider’s that very week they reached back out to me.

B’ys got some perfect timing hey?

Since I’ve never tried the Sayonara’s before I definitely wanted to give them a run for their money before properly reviewing them. Ya know? So, it’s been a while.

Mizuno Wave Rider 19 -vs- Mizuno Sayonara:

Mizuno Wave RiderWave Rider 19| (shown above)

  • Feels familiar and comfortable (I’ve ran in Wave Rider’s for 3+ years).
  • The new Wave Rider’s feel so bouncy, cushiony and a little higher off the ground.
  • Although a neutral runner, I don’t get shin-pain when running in Wave Rider’s (I do in other shoes!).
  • An excellent shoe for high-mileage.
  • You know it’s a fantastic series when they make 20 versions of it!
  • Nothing negative to say about it, it’s my favourite running shoe.

Mizuno SayonaraSayonara’s| (shown above)

  • First impressions: it’s a light shoe!
  • Has a roomier toe-box than the Wave Rider but narrower overall.
  • Feels a little flatter and more of a minimal shoe (although it’s not – it’s just less cushiony than Wave Rider’s).
  • I prefer the look of this shoe, more. It’s not as bulky.

Hard to decide on which one I prefer, but I do reach for the Wave Rider’s more when I run! But I’ve actually received more compliments on the Sayonara’s (the blue one’s).

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Valentine’s Day Sunset Bike Rides!

Sunset Bike RidesValentine’s Day. Bike Rides. Especially at sunset? Can’t get any better than that. Gotta say you guys, riding our bikes together has got to be one of the most fun things.

Alfie-meWhy didn’t I get a bike sooner? Why didn’t anyone remind me how fun it is to go bike riding?

I mean, I’m not even afraid of the clipless (or are they called clip-in?) pedals? Sheesh, so much easier to go. And the pedals can be adjusted to be harder to step out of the pedal (scary), or easier (safer, for me…). We toured around lookin’ like pros, all suited up. I have to say, wearing the entire cycling getup doesn’t feel too bad at all. I thought I’d feel/look foolish because I don’t have a biker-bod (aka no muscles in my legs lol). But I’m feelin’ pretty good. It is a little funny feeling wearing those padded shorts for the first few times, though.

LosGatos-TrailWe cycled up, and left the house around 4pm because: traffic = sketchy on a bike, and cars aren’t that nice to cyclists. Plus we live in a busy area of town, and navigating through that was nerve-wracking a little. But it’s all part of the process I suppose!

New-BikeHowever, I did have my first spill on the bike on Valentine’s. I may have even cried a little. I mean, the car was being totally impatient next to us, and I was unclipped going as slow as a snail. Anyway, I suppose if you think shedding a few tears is handling it like a champ, then I guess I handled it like a champ. haha.

McDonalds-pigoutAs per our ten year Valentine’s Day tradition, we had to clue it up with a big meal from McDonald’s. You guys know the story on how that goes, right? It was excellent.

I’ll be blogging more this coming week! Come back soon!

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Snowshoeing in Pippy Park

GrinI’m going on week 7 of being here in St. John’s Newfoundland, and I’m making the most of spending time up here in my old hometown during this super cold Canadian winter. Last weekend my climbing buddy Lori (who visited me last year for our Yosemite Climbing trip!) and I went snowshoeing around Pippy Park.

NancysnowshoeLori already owned snowshoes, and me being illprepared for how long I was going to be home, didn’t have much snow-gear besides a winter coat and hat. So just like old times, she brought over everything for me to wear to snowshoe.

PippyParkI wore her Arc’teryx snow pants, and her two shell jackets that were super warm, along with a buff to put around my neck, and I even wore her mittens. Man, what a pal… let me tell ya. I had a time! I didn’t even have proper footwear to wear (I leave my UGGs at home, and I only brought my riding boots which aren’t insulated). So I popped on my Mother’s winter boots and went off for a bit of snowshoeing.

LoriNancyoutAt Pippy Park you can rent your gear whether it be cross country skiis, or snowshoes + poles by the hour. They keep your ID and once you get back you pay your fee. It’s so inexpensive too: $5.00/hour. We ended up doing all the loops of the trails (about 4 or 5 loops) and we were going at obviously a walking pace, stopping to take photos, and to chat – and it still was only about an hour to do it all. So for $5.00 and a bit of fun, it was well worth it!

NancyArmsUpI filmed some footage of our adventure, but I don’t have the software here on my Mom’s computer to upload it to YouTube, so that’ll have to wait until I get back to California.

InCar(By the way, had a family friend ask me if anyone in St. John’s was paying me to shout out to local companies. They are not. No one knows I am writing about them … and I don’t get paid for ANY blogging I do – so I suppose you can honestly say you can trust my judgement when I mention places? Lol)

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