Memphis

Last Thursday through Saturday I went to Memphis and nearly killed myself. The entire amount of sleep I got that long weekend was about 12 hours. It wasn't until really yesterday that I felt normal again. While in Memphis, I had some delicious cuisine and although I took some pictures, I am too lazy to post them. My first meal was at Central BBQ which is a wonderful spot in Midtown Memphis and I got some BBQ with mac & cheese and collards. Even though I had to have my barbecue fix, I've found that my meat intake (all meat, not just red) has definitely diminished. Don't get me wrong, I like meat, but when I eat at a restaurant, I tend to go for the vegetarian option about 85% of the time. Another notable meal in Memphis was at a Mediterranean restaurant called Casablanca. If you are passing through Memphis, go there! We had wonderful hummus, a chicken and vegetable dish over couscous, and baklava!!

Activity wise, I went back to the Bikram studio in Memphis where I took my very first Bikram class back in January 2008. I believe I'm correct in saying that it is more of a traditional Bikram studio in that they solely offer Bikram classes, the studio room is carpeted, and the instructors are a little stricter. My studio in Louisville offers Bikram AND vinyasa classes, the studio room has a rubber-ish floor, and the instructors walk around the room and are a little more engaging and friendly. There are numerous other differences, but we'll leave it at that.

Despite the different atmosphere, it was a good class. They have heat vents as opposed to heat panels, and I thought I was going to struggle with the fact that there was heat BLOWING on me, but the temperature turned out to be just right.

Saturday morning I had to run 8 miles so I took off on a route that took me past stately mansions in Midtown Memphis and into a park near the Rhodes campus called Overton Park. There is a loop in Overton that I have run 8572934829384 times and I ran that twice and headed back. I ran for a total of 75 minutes and could not have run much more due to the heat and the intense pollen.

Overall, I had a wonderful time in Memphis. There is a lot more about the trip that won't make it onto the blog, but I saw lots of great friends, ate delicious food, visited the old hangouts, and the lack of sleep was worth it!