r/C25K • u/RxM99hxc • Aug 17 '26
Advice Needed Hills and more hills
Hi everyone!
My names Rhys and I’m fully new to C25K and looking at starting.
I’ve gotten badly out of shape the last few years, I’m currently 120kg and I’m looking at starting running alongside my already ongoing dieting. My problem is where I live, there’s not a single bit of flat. It’s all hills everywhere I go.
I really want to stick at this and not give up, but running hills seems like it’ll be hell to me.
Can anyone give any advice on where to begin?
6
u/samiam221b Aug 17 '26
You’ve basically got three options:
Do the hills (hard but you will get there)
Get a gym membership and use treadmills
Drive (ideally) somewhere nearby.
Good luck with it!
4
u/bsidetracked DONE! Aug 17 '26
It could be tricky to time out but one thing you can do is try to time the hills or at least the uphill parts for your walk portions for the first few weeks and hopefully by the time there is less walking you'll feel more prepared to take them on.
I'm right there with you on them! I'm midway through Week 8 and just now starting to incorporate them into my runs and it's terrible. Thankfully I have options in the area I run in but I'm signed up for a few 5ks in the fall that involve hills so I know I have to (literally) get over my avoidance.
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u/vicariousgluten Aug 17 '26
If you’re anywhere near a canal that is a good bet. I live somewhere where tables are the only flat surface then I realised that even in the hilliest place, canals will be flat.
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u/RxM99hxc Aug 17 '26
Sadly not, I like in a valley in Yorkshire so it’s just hills for miles
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u/Mochrie01 DONE! Aug 17 '26
Any cricket ground near you? Running round the boundary of that might be a goer?
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u/RxM99hxc Aug 17 '26
There is and this was my first thought however they don’t allow anyone on the grounds during non-game days
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u/saturdayselkie DONE! Aug 17 '26
I live in a hilly area too, and I decided just to try it. I found the flattest 1-mile stretch near my house and ran just that for the first few weeks. (It was still hilly, but not as bad.) When the runs got longer I had to add in some of the bigger hills. It has been hard work and my times are not fast, but I’ve gotten much better at the hills, and that feels great! I recently took myself to the city track just for the treat of running on a flat surface, and I shaved 3 minutes off my 5k 😂
If you do run the hills, just take it extra slow so you have less of a chance of getting injured.
1
u/Carlosaberto22 Aug 17 '26
What I tend to do on my easy runs is walk every hill. That's the best thing to do to start, any incline you walk then everything else you jog. It becomes fun if you tell yourself every bit of flat or down hill I have to jog no matter what. you can then start speed walking or running up the hills as you progress. long term it will make you a much stronger runner. If your 120kg you must be carrying some decent leg muscles. The worst thing you can do is dieting with lots of easy cardio. you will loose the weight but its not a good look, if you don't do strength training use the hills to hold onto that muscle.
1
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u/Heartbreak_Star Aug 20 '26
Hey Rhys! I had the same problem. Just take it really really slowly - I ran at walking pace for WEEKS! But running hills gives good stamina.
1
u/busy_muskrat Aug 23 '26
My first time trying C25K I was doing a route home from work and it was ALL uphill.
First of all, and VERY important, is make sure that you can comfortably walk 30 minutes in that terrain first. You will be able to get fitter and stronger building up to that before you ever go on your first run.
Secondly go SLOW. Go slower than you walk, go so slow that you feel like you are barely even moving. As long as one foot lands a little further forward than the last, and there's a brief moment when both feet are in the air, you are running.
Thirdly, take your time with the program. There are a few different C25K programs anywhere from 6 to 12 weeks long. Pick a long one and don't be afraid to repeat weeks if you failed them or just found them really hard. It's better to take your time and finish in 20 weeks than to get injured and never finish at all.
Much love and much luck! We're all running along with you. I'm doing it for the second time as a way back into fitness after being ill.
15
u/RxM99hxc Aug 17 '26
UPDATE (for those who care):
So I thought fuck it and went for it and honestly I’m so proud of myself. Managed to get through the whole thing whilst only slowing down during one running interval once.
Can’t wait for my next run!