I've been using these shoes for years, and the new design is terrible! I recently finished the Vancouver half marathon with my old pair, which were way overdue to be replaced (I had also run the Portland half marathon in them last year - oops :)

This is the 3rd of 4th pair of these shoes that I've bought over the past few years, and I figured these new ones would be just as comfortable as my last pair. Well... boy was I WRONG!

I ran 3 miles in them the day after they arrived. It should have been a bad sign that the balls of my feet were KILLING ME after only about a mile. I chalked it up to the fact that they weren't broken in yet, and went for another run in them. Just as bad. Then I made the mistake of trying to go for a 10-mile run in them, figuring they just needed to be worn a bit more so they'd be more comfortable. NO DICE. I ended up walking a good part of that run, with numb feet. It would feel better after I walked for a bit, but then in less than a half a mile my feet would be killing me again.

I've been trying to walk around in these as much as possible, and since I don't usually walk as far as I run, they have been comfortable. But these are RUNNING shoes, not walking shoes. I actually walked about 4 miles today in them and my feet started hurting. This is no longer a matter of the shoes not being broken in - it's a matter of the shoes sucking.

I bought the same shoes, Mizuno Wave Alchemy last year in purple, same size (9.5) and they were immensely comfortable. I even considered getting a smaller pair this year because my old ones had a lot of play in the toes so I'd get blisters after 6+ miles. A bit of moleskin fixed that right up, though, and I didn't want to jinx it, so I went with 9.5 again. Well, they seem to have made the toe much narrower, so it pushes on the outsides of my toes and leads to pain after just a few miles. (If that!) I guess I should have gone with a size 10, but I'm not even sure that would have fit!

So, let this be a warning! Even if you've used these shoes in the past, they are DIFFERENT! Go to a brick and mortar store and try these things on before you buy online. Heck, even if you try these on and they fit fine, you might find out that they're unusable after you go for your first (short) run in them. Pretty sad, especially considering most people don't let you return shoes that have been worn outside. Well, what are you supposed to do if the shoes don't start having problems until you've gone a certain distance in them? Then you're sore out of luck, like me. :(