On Personal Health, Self-Care, and Footwear

It is purely coincidental that the rebirth of Within Color is kicking off at the same time that I'm promising to get a fresh start on my health.  I'm vowing to stop measuring my health against the unrealistic Western standards of beauty and instead focus on why I enjoy being active and how it ties into self-care.  Five years ago, I couldn't run longer than 30 seconds without being absolutely winded, but I kept at it and eventually found that I loved the idea of doing something that I had always dismissed as impossible.  Additionally, running, although I continue to have a very love/hate relationship with it, allowed me to better cope with stress and anxiety -- something that I certainly appreciated a hell of a lot more five years ago, when I was stuck in a depressing post-grad limbo.  My relationship with my running shoes has waned and been rekindled a few times since, but I feel like this time it'll actually stick because this time I really want it to for the right reasons and not because I feel running will magically bestow some near-impossible body type upon me.

After being away from running for so long that I can't resume my 10K training without risking fainting on the treadmill, I'm going to start entirely from scratch.  I am so excited to announce that I'm getting back on the horse.  I'm going to be training for my first 5K, the NYCRUNS Mother's Day 5K, on May 10th.  I'll be posting follow ups about my personal non-scale victories as the date approaches.

That's enough talk.  Now help me choose some crosstrainers!

I'm actually leaning towards these Nike Frees because they're: 1. black, like the rest of my wardrobe, and 2. feature a subtle leopard print.  However, my husband recently warned me that if I bought any more leopard print items, I would eventually morph into a cat.

I'm also really drawn to these Nike In-Seasons because they look very classic but I can't fully love them because they look very classic but I think I'm less likely to get tired of them because they look very classic.

What do you guys think?