Thought it must be a 34t. Gearing for hills is down to the rider and their fitness- and bike setup and speed and severity of hills. I have plenty of 10 to 15% hills where I live but most of them are not too long. But I do have to have the gearing right for me to be able to conquer them. I run a compact with 12/27 cassette. That gets me up all the hills but like you I am slow. I take my own pace on all hills and NEVER attack them. May chase other riders near the top if I am near them but that rarely happens. I also use a heart monitor and use that to gauge how much effort to put in. I normally ride on the flat at around 135 to 140 and on hills get to 150. I may reach my max of 160 by the end of the hill if it lips up or I just want to see my max for the day but at no-time do I "Go" for a hill.

On the gearing-I do have one bike set up with a 12/25 cassette and "IF" I use that set of wheels on the steep hills- I know it. That extra 2 teeth on the cassette makes the difference between struggling and surviving.