Quote Originally Posted by msfelchy View Post
I'm relatively new at biking and in NH, there are HILLS everywhere! My health coach (who does Iron Mans) suggested this technique - you pedal really hard with one leg for 10 revolutions and then swith to pedaling hard with the other leg for 10 revolutions. It works for her - for me, I kept losing count. (LOL) I switched from my mountain bike to an aluminum frame hybrid and can now get up any hill I want - staying seated. The lighter bike increased my confidence as well as decreasing the load I was trying to get up the hill. I'm now back on program to drop another 25 pounds to hopefully increase my overall speed. (For a total of 130 pounds).
I am in the Seattle area and can't go 150 feet without finding a hill. Seriously, they make me tremble. And I live on a freaking hill, so if I want to ride all the way home, I have to make it up the hill. And I haven't gotten much better over the past two years.

What I've determined (from reading here) is that my power-to-weight ratio is off. I'm not very strong and I'm 30-35 pounds overweight. I've started lifting weights (including lower body) and have re-dedicated to losing weight. I know that my bike and commuting panniers are heavy so that hurts, but losing body weight is probably the most effective thing I can do to get faster. Otherwise, climbing hills will continue to suck for me