There's also the psychological aspect of hills. This is a big problem with me and I continue to work on it. If you look at a hill and think, "Oh God, a HILL!" then it is going to suck. Better to look at a hill and make a deal with it. "Oh, hello HILL. Not for nothing but you are going to TOPPED today." And then relax, switch to an easier gear, spin up, and start counting. I count revolutions on my right leg. Sometimes, I sing the alphabet. Generally, either one of these things gets me moving. And when I can see the top, I stand up to pedal. Not hard, I just get my rear out of the saddle because psychologically it perks me up.

I may be breathing heavy (I'm a heavy breather - it's kinda funny when you're behind someone) but I am generally pretty happy once I get to the top.

Speed doesn't matter so much as efficiency.

I'm weird - I'd rather take a short (1/2 to 1 mile), really steep hill (Redrhodie can attest to this) than a long false flat. I get really bummed on false flats.