The Day Mizuno Responded To My Brazen Advances

Has there ever been a time in your life when you've pursued someone shamelessly?  I know I have.  I have...almost no shame.  It never hurts to ask, right?

I remember one time in college when I had a crush on some dude who was studying abroad.  He came back to visit between his two semesters abroad.  The last night he was there, I professed my love, telling him he "Would be hard pressed to find anyone better for him than me."  

My crush stared back at me blankly and said "Uh.  You know I'm going back to Argentina for another semester".

source

Clearly he didn't agree with my statement that I was his soulmate.  I got sad but it ended up ok.
It doesn't always work out, does it?  But sometimes...sometimes...it just does.


The Mizuno Story

I've been a huge fan of Mizuno running shoes for many years.  To say I've spent thousands of dollars on their shoes throughout the years is no exaggeration.  I like the firm ride, the wide toe box, and the fact that I haven't gotten injured wearing them ever.  I own three different models, the Ronin (racer), the Elixir (lightweight trainer), and the Inspire (stability).

I also love the company.  While I have zero insight on how they operate, I know they've got nice people in charge.  On a whim back in 2010, I emailed the President of Mizuno Running, just to tell him that I loved the shoes and wanted to know a little more about the company.  The dude emailed me back a very thoughtful email and answered all of my questions in detail.   He clearly spent time on it.  Not bad for a busy executive interacting with a stranger.  


A few weeks back, I decided I'd brazenly email Mizuno again to tell them I had a blog and wanted to get more involved with their brand.  They flirted with me once, why not again, right?  After I emailed them, I got a note saying that they'd forwarded my note the marketing department.   I figured I'd get lost in the shuffle and never hear from them again.

But imagine my surprise when one fine morning, I got these tweets:

Mizuno wanted to talk with me!  No unrequited love!!   They said they'd love to get me more involved with them, which pretty much made me the happiest person ever.  And now I have some awesome new shoes and clothes to try out!  Here's what they sent me:

The Inspire 8 (review here).

The Wave Musha (stability racers! review here).

And some new clothes:

I haven't tried either of the shoes (I got them tonight), so I can't review them yet, but I am especially excited to try the new model of the Inspire as it is supposed to be a great update.  As for the clothes, I know I'm going to like the shirt and shorts because they have simple styling that aligns with the way I dress normally.  The sizing is also good for me, because their stuff runs small and also appears to work for someone petite with boobs and hips (uh yeah that's me).

Bottom line, I'm really excited to work with Mizuno in whatever capacity I can.  Frankly, I thought I'd have to be an elite to ever have anyone from a running company talk with me.  I guess you just have to love the product and have a blog with a lot of MS Paint and Picnik edits!  What a dream come true.

So I guess...it never hurts to ask.  Even if that dude from college didn't love me back, my favorite shoe company did.  And let's be honest.  I care way more about the shoes.

State of the Shoe-nion Address

First things:  Aspaeris shorts is having a 50% sale with the coupon code "cooleronline".  Aspaeris is helping to sponsor our Ragnar Team and offering a pretty sweet discount with this code, so we're spreading the word about their fantastic product.  I recover at the pace of a snail, so I'm pumped to have their product to help.
Here's the press release! 

Second Things:
Heather tagged me in a post where I answer questions about myself!  Here's the link to the answers!  I didn't tag anyone, but if you're reading this, consider yourself tagged ;-).

Main Post:  State of the Shoe-ion

Forget diamonds.

Shoes are most definitely a girl's best friend.  Running shoes specifically.  My heart skips a beat when I'm at a shoe store.  I probably own more running shoes than normal ones (A stability shoe, a lightweight trainer, and a racer along with many many others in retirement that are waiting to go to that big shoe heaven in the sky (Goodwill)).  There have been a lot of trends in running shoes lately, which is probably making me want to buy even more models so I can run with all the new features.

But do I really need all of these new bells and whistles?   Will racers make me faster? (yes. marginally.)  If I tried running barefoot will everyone think I'm weird?  (probably.) What's up with the minimalistic shoes?

Here are my thoughts regarding some of the running shoe trends.

Trend 1:  Barefoot Running.
Thoughts:  Dislike.  Honestly, I think this is gross.  Although I guess it's less gross if you wear the Five Finger shoes rather than being completely barefoot.  Also, it seems like a quick way to get injured.  One could make the argument that people weren't meant to wear shoes, but honestly, I don't think people were built to be long distance runners either.  There were probably very few times in the cave-man days when running a 5 mile tempo would have been necessary.

Trend 2:  Light/Low Heel Drop Shoes. 
Thoughts:  Kind of torn on this trend.  Running in lighter shoes feels awesome.  And a shoe that makes your stride more efficient is awesome too.  I just think that runners (especially those increasing mileage) should be careful to get the right shoe for their stride.
Heavier Shoe > Injury Due to Unsupportive Shoe. 

Trend 3: Really Bright Shoes
Thoughts:  LOVE!  I experienced my first injury at age 16 because I am an overpronator and bought neutral shoes because they were bright yellow.  So this trend of having a wide selection of bright shoes is quite exciting.  I understand if bright shoes aren't your thing, but I'll just assume you are zero fun.  At all.
Fun Colored Shoes = Fun Life. 

As much fun as it is talking about running shoes, I've also gotta get some of my thoughts on normal shoes off my chest.  

Trend 1:  Chunky Lady Gaga Shoes
Thoughts:  WTF y'all?  Can someone enlighten me as to why these super clunky high heeled monstrosities are so popular?  I work in online retail, so I know for a fact they are popular...it is one of the great world issues that keeps me up at night.  Please explain ASAP.


Trend 2:  Over The Knee Boots.
Thoughts:  I don't care how covered up one is when they are worn, I still think they make people look like hookers.  But maybe that's the point?  Kids these days...

Trend 3:  Men in cowboy boots and jeans.  

Thoughts:  Ok this isn't a trend.  It's here to stay (probably only if you live in Texas. Which I don't.).  Whoever said that people weren't meant to wear shoes clearly has never seen a good looking man rocking jeans and boots.  Why this style hasn't spread beyond Texas is really beyond me.  See "Tim Riggins" in Friday Night Lights for reference.

Any shoe trends (running or otherwise) you're loving or hating these days?  

Any you're curious to try?