Goals: Escalators, Foreign Languages and Zumba

I have decided on a new goal. Well, a couple of new goals really.


I want to be able to walk up the escalator at Náměstí Míru a) without stopping b) without feeling winded.


Náměstí Míru is the deepest station within the Prague metro system (though not the deepest point, apparently that's somewhere in between Hradčanská and Malostranská farther north) and, of course, that means it has the longest escalator in the system. 



This also happens to be the longest escalator in Europe at 290 feet (87m). It takes 2 minutes and 15 seconds (without walking), which seems like a freaking eternity when you're on it, especially when you have to pee. 


Anyway, it takes forever if you just stand there and I'm super impatient. Not to mention, with as much traveling around as I do every day, if I just stood on every escalator I would probably waste something like a half-hour to an hour per day. 


That's ridiculous.


I generally do walk up the escalators, but I rarely have to go to Náměstí Míru. The ones I go up are significantly shorter (or just have stairs anyway). Today, however, I got off at Náměstí Míru and there were a bajillion other people on the escalator. (Stupid rush hour.) Rather than waiting in line for each and every old fogie geriatric citizen to get on the escalator in front of me (and risk them tripping on the way off), I opted to walk up. 


Oh, how overly ambitious I was. 


My pace began to slow less than halfway up; I was breathing heavily by the time I did finally reach halfway; I had to actually pause to catch my breath about 3/4 of the way up. 


Pathetic.


So a new exercise regimen is born. 


On a sidenote, in a couple of weeks I start my Czech class. Hooray for beginning my fourth language! 


In case you're wondering what I mean by fourth: I'm native in English (duh), proficient in Spanish (Remember, I'm from Texas) and intermediate-to-upper-intermediate in Mandarin Chinese (See I wasn't just partying in Taiwan). Czech will be language number four. I think that makes me a badass... or ADD. You decide.


Another sidenote, I'm thinking about attending a Zumba class that lorn goes to. It's pretty cheap and only once a week (which happens to be right after Czech lessons). I think I'll go once, see if I like it and if I do I'll go whenever I have the extra cash. Luckily you don't have to sign up ahead of time.


Anyone ever tried Zumba before? Love it? Hate it? Tips?