Mizuno Neo Zen 2 Review

I need to preface this review by mentioning a few things. First, I'm a really big fan of the Mizuno brand. The very first pair of running shoes I was fitted in by a local running specialty was a Wave Rider. My current race day shoe is the now discontinued Wave Rebellion Pro (a KILLER shoe, in my opinion). I've run in the Neo Zen 1, and the first time I put it on.... I knew it was going to immediately be a hands down favorite. The Neo Zen 1 was soft, bouncy, and INCREDIBLY fun to run in. I spent most of my summer and fall training block last year running in the Neo Zen. I liked it so much, I bought another pair. I'll likely pick up more pairs as I see them on sale. Yes... it's that much fun to run in.

Now, before I tell you more about the Neo Zen 2, I need to backtrack and mention some things about V1 that are important to this review of the Neo Zen 2. The Neo Zen 1 has a high stack, supercritical TPU midsole. It feels amazing on step in. It's very soft, incredibly bouncy, and just capital F U N to run in. It has a one piece, sock like upper (which I really like), so lockdown could be a bit funky. It has Mizuno's 'Smooth Speed Assist' technology (according to Mizuno it's designed to "enhance running efficiency and speed through advanced biomechanics and engineering"). What does all that tech jargon mean? It's helps roll you through your stride more efficiently. The major drawback to V1: it's incredibly unstable. The ultra soft and bouncy supercritical TPU and the sock like upper make it really easy to roll off the platform if your stride isn't dialed in (and I did that a few times coming around corners on a run, but thankfully did not get hurt). Even still, it has been my favorite shoe to run in.

So now that all that is out of the way, how is Version 2? Well for starters, the foam is different. Mizuno changed from supercritical TPU to supercritical EVA (though it still has a high stack and they're still calling it EnerzyNXT). That change puts a bit of a damper on the softness and bounciness. It's still soft, but not 'ultra' soft. It's now only slightly bouncy. The upper is a bit different, too. There's a lot of padding around the heel that helps lock the shoe down a whole lot better. It wasn't there at all on the Neo Zen 1. Overall, it's a lot more stable and under control. While I like to describe the Neo Zen 1 as a bit 'chaotic,' The Neo Zen 2 has a much more tamed and under control ride. The Neo Zen 2 does still have Mizuno's 'Smooth Speed Assist.' I've found that it really does help make any given run feel more natural. For me, it's not quite as magical as the original. That said... it's still an awesome shoe, and I'm still very much enjoy running in it (I currently have 53 miles on my test pair).

What's the Neo Zen 2 good for? Honestly, I have only used it for my daily miles and long runs. Some of those runs included hill repeats. I really think you could use the Zen 2 for faster workouts as well like tempo runs. For some... it could even be a race day shoe if you're not interested in carbon plates or spending obscene amounts of money for race day shoes.