The hill issue.

[AS60]

What about gradient? Should you avoid it? Or embrace it? Obviously an uphill run is much more difficult but sometimes difficult to avoid.

[Sortyourlife]

So, I live in greater Manchester and I’ve done probably half and half in terms of runs outside and runs on a treadmill during the programme (maybe slightly more outside but meh). When I do a run outside I run around an industrial park and on a bypass, so it’s generally pretty flat (although I’ve noticed there’s a little downhill just before getting halfway, which means it’s uphill on my way back)

Last week I went to the Yorkshire dales for a couple of days, and was determined to do my last run of week 8 outdoors. So off I went! And wow I underestimated the hills ahahah.

My warm up walk took me further than I was expecting but figured ahh id be fine.... at the end of the road there’s a hill. Obviously I’d prefer to finish going downhill, so I started to run up this hill. I lasted probably around a minute, maybe two max. No way was I running up anymore of this hill.

I came back down and ended up trying to run down a bit of a bridleway. It was slightly downhill, but then I hit a point where I would’ve definitely stopped running so that was no good either, plus I saw a dead bunny that had pretty much gone apart from it’s little head, it was horrible 😢 so I didn’t want to run over and over that particular spot either.

So I ended up getting back to the road, and just ran up and down the same flattish bit for the rest of my time until I had about 5 minutes left and I started heading back 😂😂😂

But yeah this flattish bit was probably only around 100m or so long, it’s a good job no one was walking past, would’ve seemed like a right odd job!

What I’ll probably do now is when I’m on a treadmill, to make it less boring, is maybe introduce some rolling hills or something. Otherwise I’m not gonna fuss about them too much

[misswobble Graduate in reply to Sortyourlife]

It’s quite all right to avoid hills for C25k. They are very hard work and can be demoralising

They’ll still be there post grad 🙂

[Sortyourlife in reply to misswobble]

Yep and that’s what I’m working towards now ahah! I mean I get that for some people they’re unavoidable but hey just slow and steady and that’s all that matters 😃

[misswobble Graduate in reply to Sortyourlife]

When you tackle hills you break them down into manageable chunks. Rest as reqd before pushing on a bit further

As you run slowly up take small steps, and say to yourself, “small steps, Small steps, Small steps, repeat til you’ve done it 💪

[Rua8 Graduate in reply to Sortyourlife]

🤣 I have a great mental image of you running that flat bit over and over again. As for hills, heck no, I avoid them, and have avoided them consistently through C25K. For me, even post graduation, there is no fun in running up a hill, and I don’t want to make running a chore or something miserable. It’s a personal choice really, like any route - do a hill if you want to, and if not, stick with the flat

[Sortyourlife in reply to Rua8]

Ahahah honestly it was ridiculous! You should see my Strava map for that run 😂😂

But yeah exactly, like in my general day to day running I don’t have hills apart from a slight slope, so why do I need to run on them?

Like I said I might do some when I’m running on the treadmill, just to make it a little less boring 😂

[AS60 Graduate in reply to Sortyourlife]

😂 I love this!!!!!! The story of this run is brilliant! It is funny the lengths you can go to to avoid the dreaded upward incline - no problem with down - love down - but sadly, with a down there’s always an up - unless you spend the night at a hotel at the bottom of the hill instead of going home 😉

I just completed week 5 and 6 while we were away in the Italian lakes and having been able to, like you, to somewhat engineer my runs to be on the (more or less) level but found on several occasions that I could not avoid the damn things as the crowd and the lack of ‘promenade’ in some places gave me no option. I have to admit that I did have hubby with me cheering me on and actually nigh on forcing me to go up on several occasions rather than choose a more level spot and it really hurt at times but then I did find that the next run did seem a bit easier and can see that this is a good way of improving your fitness quickly - if you can bear it.

[Sortyourlife in reply to AS60]

Yeah this is true! That hill at the bottom of the road I was talking about is dubbed the ‘steep hill’ (it even says it on the road sign, look at my W8R3 post!)

There was no way I was going to be able to run uphill continuously for 10 minutes 😂😂😂

[Flyingred Graduate]

I started C25K a few years ago and for my first run I ran from home towards the middle of my village (because there's a pavement alongside the roads) which is slightly uphill. It was no fun at all. This time I've found a field with a path around the perimeter which is flat and being away from traffic is far more pleasant so I'd say choose somewhere to run that isn't a barrier to your enjoyment. If that's a treadmill in a gym, so be it!

[Superstarnewbie Graduate]

I live in Devon with hills everywhere! I think some gradient is great for fitness and once it levels out, it feels easier to run 😂😂

[AS60 Graduate in reply to Superstarnewbie]

It’s so true. No pain no gain they say don’t they? It’s just sometimes - and especially in this heat - it seems impossible! 😂

[Superstarnewbie Graduate in reply to AS60]

Yes and hills hurt! I went for my run at 6.30 to avoid the heat!

[Ang33333 Graduate]

I think you can't avoid them forever. Graduated on the reasonably flat railway line near us. But now we are running further along it, there are inclines/small hills. You get used to them but I'll never like them!

My husband, who used to run in the army and school and has run marathons, says that why I call a hill is just an incline! To me if it goes up and makes me hot it's a hill!!!! ⛰⛰⛰⛰😃

[davelinks Graduate]

Hills should be avoided while doing c25k, as it makes it much harder for the new runner, and in the heat as well, which could put someone off totally, but we know sometimes hills are unavoidable, so look at embracing them, as in time they will be very beneficial for you, building stamina, make sure you're well hydrated and take them as slow as a snail...