Summarize the following:
Your stride is the motion your legs take as they extend and strike the ground, carrying you along. Your natural running stride should feel easy, rather than awkward. Everyone’s stride is a little different, although the general form is similar for most people. Once you find your stride, you’ll minimize your risk of injury and gain speed.  There are several variables you can experiment with. Focus on how high your knees are in relation to your hips. Focus on how your feet strike the ground and how you push off to create your strides. Some people prefer to strike the ground heel-to-toe, while others prefer to do it toe-to-heel. Find what is comfortable and work with what feels best. Generally, your ideal stride is the farthest distance in between steps that you can make without stretching or straining yourself consistently on a walk or run, but it really depends on your body structure and if you want to run for distance or speed. For a speed workout or race, your stride length should be fairly short, as you have more power with shorter strides. This takes more energy though, and so for a long distance run your stride length would increase.  Your body tends to know its default stride length and so from there it's up to you to find out how much you should shorten. When doing faster, short distance runs one would probably focus more on arm movement. Especially in sprints, where the arm movement essentially determines the speed. Another factor worth considering is cadence, or steps per minute. The average cadence for a medium to long distance runner is around 180 steps/minute. Many training runners load up music playing devices with music that plays at 180 bpm to help align their steps with beats (see How to Create an Exercise Music Playlist). There are some sites that let you sort music by BPM. While 180 steps/minute is an average to aim for, it's worth noting that not all experts and studies agree about how significant cadence is to speed or distance. It likely won't hurt to keep your steps per minute in mind when training, but don't be too concerned if your cadence doesn't match the average, as long as other measurements of progress are positive. If you are running on rough trails, you have to adjust your stride to the terrain. Therefore, stride length will vary rather than being a static length.  If on a flat surface that has no obstacles, your stride should be based on what feels comfortable. In other words, a stride that feels like you are really stretching to maximize its length could become very tiring after a certain distance. You could also either experience sore muscles and tendons from over extending yourself. The effort required to maximize your stride length can also be stressful on your feet because you might be springing off each foot and could result in soreness or worse, injury. If running downhill, you might want to increase your stride length to take advantage of gravity. But again, it needs to be done with caution in order to reduce the stresses resulting from controlling your balance and braking to maintain control. Your stride length going uphill is going to be shorter than running on a flat or downhill surface, but how much shorter will be relative to the steepness of the hill, along with your conditioning, strength, and endurance.  Take very short, slow, and deliberate strides to "power" up the hill. The pace might barely be above a walking pace but you'll still be using a running motion, not a walking motion. "Drive" your strides with your arms. As you continue training up that same hill, you will be able to run faster and your stride length will increase as you get stronger. For example, if you've always been a heel-to-toe person, and you want to try striking toe-first, you should work with a running instructor before you try doing it for long distances. Changing your form can lead to injury. Watch the ones who have a smooth easy stride. They appear as though they are almost effortlessly gliding along. The likelihood is those types of runners will finish at the head of the pack. If you are running and you can increase your cadence and decrease your stride length, go for it! And when that becomes too tiring, make a conscious decision to lengthen stride and lower cadence. This helps stretch out muscles after a hard workout.

summary: Experiment with your stride. Optimize your cadence. Adjust your stride to the terrain. Don’t attempt to drastically change your form without instruction. Observe experienced runners. Go by feel. Directly after runs, many athletes do 'strides,' where they run about 100 meters (328 ft) with the goal of lengthening stride as much as possible while traveling as fast as possible.


Summarize the following:
While cut refers more to quality and level of brilliance, the shape is one aspect of the cut. Review the possible shapes available on the market, and choose the one you like best. If buying a diamond for someone else, ask his/her opinion before selecting a shape, or bring a trusted friend/family member.  Select a popular, classic shape if you have no one to ask. The most popular shapes are round brilliant, princess, and cushion cut.  Consider a non-traditional shape if the receiver has a non-traditional personality. Also, note that less common shapes can be 30%, for the same karat weight and quality! Less common shapes that are still fairly popular include marquise, oval, pear, and heart. A diamond's cut determines the vast majority of its brilliance, and many consider the cut to be the most important factor when choosing a diamond. Ask the jeweler to see the Gemological Institute of America's (GIA’s) diamond grading report for any diamond you consider purchasing. This report will give you a rough grade on cut:  Select an "Ideal Cut" diamond for the highest level of perfection. Choose a "Very Good" or "Excellent" grade diamond for a slightly less expensive yet high-quality stone. Consider a "Good" grade if you want to balance the other C's and still stick to a budget. Never purchase a fair to poor quality diamond, especially for engagement rings and other gifts. Diamonds at these levels severely lack brilliance. The pavilion side is the lower side of a diamond, which isn’t visible enough and has no impact on its sparkling style.  Chevrons are of particular importance when considering the princess cut diamonds. These are the facets at the pavilion side of the diamond surrounding the main pavilion. Most princess cuts have two, three or four chevrons. The more the chevrons, the more the light gets reflected upon. There is no "right" number of chevrons, just personal preference. More chevrons lead to a more multifaceted look, whereas less has a smoother look.
summary: Pick out the right shape for you and your budget. Choose the highest quality of cut you can afford. Consider the number of chevrons.