Hills or no hills?

[Kanapa]

So, I’m wondering whether I should drive a few minutes to run on the flat - nearest place would just be pavement Running - or carry on walking from my front door and running on the Common which is a series of ups and downs ... I do like just opening the front door and starting. Is running on gentle slopes a good idea? Do you all try to find flat routes? In fact is there an app that helps you plan flat routes? Perhaps that’s a gap in the market! Btw I graduated last September but then stopped running - am now on Week 5 second time around 😊

[packersruns Graduate]

I'm sure other people will have more useful information as I'm not sure what's better, but in this community I've seen people do the programme with loads of hills and do it successfully and people who are on a flat surface the whole time, and do it successfully. I think it's just about exploring and seeing what's right for you!

[RunRabbitRun40 Graduate]

For me the hills proved too much of a mental block - there are no routes right from my front door that don't involve very steep inclines and even walking up them would be a struggle. The thought put me off so much that I just didn't want to run at all, so I started to park up a the bottom of the hill and then I've got all the flat routes I could possibly want!

At some point, when my fitness is up and I'm comfortable with running, I plan to conquer the hills but for now I'm at least getting out there.

So, I guess my brief answer is - if the idea of hills stop you running at all, then find somewhere flat; but if you're happy to give yourself the challenge, give it a go.

[Hidden in reply to RunRabbitRun40]

Totally agree. The hills by my house are absolutely brutal to run up. If I didn't walk or drive to a flatter area, I'm sure I would have quit.

[Sasl80 Graduate]

I run by a river so while there are no huge hills there are undulations and some 3m ish inclines. When I first started c25k I dreaded those bits, now they are my favourite as they keep the journey interesting and I feel different muscles engage.

I would say try it, if you can finish even with gritting your teeth keep going (it'll get easier). If it looks insurmountable go somewhere a little flatter and take the challenge when you feel more comfortable in your run.

[runforfun_ Graduate]

I’m no expert, but I was recently told that doing a lot of pavement running can cause strain as it means the same part of your foot is hitting the ground and absorbing the impact every time. So having a few gentle slopes here and there (as daunting in terms of fitness as it might be) might actually be a good idea?

[davelinks Graduate]

If you're OK with the gentle slopes then carry on, doing c25k on the flat makes it less hard, but if you can do hills then all well and good, you will benefit your stamina.

You can always mix it up, flat and slopes, whatever suits you..

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

If you run up hills, you can run up hills..........

[Ringla]

The nearest flat surface to here is many miles away. My 5 minute walk takes me up a fairly steep footpath, where it meets a very quiet road. For weeks 1 and 2 I managed along that road, as far as possible running down and walking back up. It worked for me. Just over that road is a grassy field, well trimmed by rabbits, and I now run round that, just over 0.5km per circuit. It is sloping, so these days I have as much up as down, not very steep, as the summit is near the centre of the field. My reward every day is the 5 minute walk back down to home.

I certainly enjoy far more running on grass to bashing tarmac. I expect later on to find the varying slopes an asset in doing interval training.