New to the group ...

[Will_]

Just completed week 6 of C25K. Have not yet done 5k, but run 3 of week 6 is 25 minutes long! What I am finding (after never having run before) is quite how sensitive an uphill or downhill gradient can be.

[telford_mike Graduate]

I find that too - hills are a git (well uphill ones anyway). There's a railway bridge on my circuit which means a 50 yard climb and it always seems to come just towards the end of a running section....

[Gridlet Graduate]

Well done Will, getting out and doing it is the most important thing. Hills are strengthening (and for killing 👹)

[AnnieW55]

Hi and welcome. Well done so far. Don't worry about 5k. The real main aim of the programme is 30 min non-stop running. Get that under your belt comfortably and then 5k and longer or faster or whatever your aim is can then be worked on.

A tip for hills telford_mike

Try "back stitching" the hill. Run up to first lamp post (or static marker, no using cars that move - guess who did 😚), turn and run down. Turn and run up two, down one - repeat until you get to the top. The run down gives a bit of recovery time before going up again and you get plenty of practice going up. Do this with small steps, it really works. It's the way I learned to run the hills around here - I can't do a run without doing a hill or two and I don't want/won't drive to a flatter area.

You're right about sensing what the terrain is doing, uphil/downhill/flat all feel different. The main thing is not to over stride which is esp dialysis easy to do going downhill.