I tend to make a game out them as well. I watch my speed going up and try to improve on it each time, then I try to see how fast I can go while going down.
As my Drill Sergeants used to say, "They build Character in you."
I personally would rather turn back down a hill then to walk up one. This way I can keep the hill as a goal for me. In fact this evening, I completed a goal--I crested a hill that I had previous never made it up this season. It gives me a greater satisfaction knowing that I completed a goal, plus I like to torture myself and don't want myself to reap the benefits of the down hill without suffering up it.
Usually when I ride I go down a long road and turn around and ride back, so I now have a saying, "What goes down now, must always go up."
Originally Posted by
neilfein
I turn the hills into a game. I'll see if I can maintain 10mph, or 14, or whatever speed (depending on how steep the hill is, it could be 8) while goign up the hill. There's one hill on my commute where I can't maintain more than 5 or 6mph. It's steep but short.