Oh, and on the note of getting up hills - one thing a very experienced hill climber told me once... He said to smile when climbing. Smiling relaxes the muscles in your face and if your face isn't tense, your upper body will follow suit. This makes climbing (particularly the multi-mile climbs) a lot more bearable. I swear it helps!

(Plus, people see you and think you are nuts - and that's always good for an internal giggle or two )