Rings around the world (well, the park)

Distance approx 8 miles. Time approx 1.2 hours

A heavy weekend of gigs (all with various permutations of The Southmartins. Pubs, Big festival spots, weddings, WMCs - what a life) and calorie consumption (Burgers and beers mostly) has left me a bit knackered and a slight sense of failure at my last run didn't bode well for getting back into my stride. I attempted 12 miles on Saturday but could only manage 5 due to three layers of blisters from previous runs. I was determined (once I'd started at least) to do a decent length run tonight. Sticking to laps of the local park meant I could pull up at any point and not have far to walk home if the blisters became unbearable again. I couldn't quite remember how far one lap of the park perimeter was so kept going for six, convinced it was at least 10k (approx 6 miles). Turns out it was a fair bit longer.
I've ordered some new trainers in the hope I can solve the blister problem, which I haven't suffered at all from until now, but its not advised to try and wear a new pair in less than a month to go so I'll just have to see how that goes.

Soundtrack - Super Furry Animals Songbook.

There's been a bit of 90s thread running through these blogs in hindsight. Having lived through it, it's not a decade I thought had the most to offer in terms of pop/rock music but I'm starting to change my mind a bit and remember or discover some great stuff. The Charlatans had a "best of" called Melting Pot but it may as well have been called Magpie's Nest as they plucked from a fairly small pool of influences and although they made some great records (One To Another, How High era) they didn't always have brilliant songs but were, in my opinion, as much a triumph of production as much as anything. If any band could genuinely be said to be all-welcoming in terms of what they would consider using in their sound then Super Furry Animals would be up there in the running. I didn't listen to SFA a huge amount when they first broke through with songs such as Something For The Weekend and Hermann Loves Pauline but I've since bought a lot of their albums and they're always diverting if not always classic. Super Furry Animals are a Welsh "Acid Rock" band. Psychedelic but in a fairly modern way. They came out of Acid House into indie-rock rather than the other way round like Stone Roses or others. The eternal "problem" with experimental bands is that they miss the mark as often as they hit it but as long as the quality of what they produce when they do succeed is of this kind of standard you can forgive them their indulgences and explorations as they're all part of the same process. There's a real outsider quality to their music and lyrics they don't really fit anywhere and although they don't have a signature sound they always manage to sound like themselves.
This collection gathers together their better known work and singles and jumbles it around in a non-chronological order which I'm not sure works and I think there's something to be said for a linear retrospective of a band's work as it shows their development. That said, the stuff on here is great. They sometime sound a bit like Blur if Blur genuinely been into dance music and hadn't used the indie/dance crossover as a stepping stone to fame (something I'm sure, and the evidence suggests, they regret) but there's also a little bit of Ray Davies in Gruff Rhys' delivery and perceptions. Occasionally they seem to stray into dad-rock with songs like Rings Around the World with its Quo-esque riff but they're probably more similar to Hawkwind's space rock. There's a fair bit of low-tempo songs where the songwriting skills of the band shine through (Demons is a personal favourite).
They have enjoyed cult success and acclaim for the best part of 20 years now and although they used to really push the boundaries of what a rock-band could be and do they have, perhaps thankfully, never quite stood in the same spotlight as Oasis, Blur and other contemporaries. Maybe that's why they've kept going so strong. They make as big a deal in promoting their albums about the cover art now as the music which is a shame but it's reassuring to know they're still out on the outer reaches of the solar system heading to galaxies unknown.

Oh and I think I've entered the wrong race...

The 5 minute beer mile.

Breathless

Distance 11 miles. Time 1 hr 50 mins 52 secs. Calories burnt 1289!!!

Castle Eden walkway is a nice place to go on a summer's day for a stroll along the old railway track and for a coffee and a cake in the cafe at the old station. Castle Eden walkway is not a nice place to go out in the blazing sun and attempt to run further than you ever have before. Alone. The first 5 miles to, the somewhat unimaginatively named, Station Town was a killer. Not much in the way of hills or anything but not much in the way of shelter from the midday sun either. I tried to keep my pace steady, using my wife's Garmin gadget thingy, but had to pull back from my usual 9 minute-ish/mile pace as the heat took its toll. I seriously considered refilling my water bottle from a puddle as I realised I wasn't going to have enough for the journey back. There's also a lake I was tempted to dive head first into. Turned out that the return leg wasn't quite so bad as it became more and more overcast the further along I got and even a slight breeze picked up, kicking the wind turbines into action on the hills. It is a pleasant route, if a little dull at times with long, flat stretches of nothing more than hedgerows and fields. 12 miles needed next Sunday. Might have to be a bit more creative with the route. I was in a very ploddy mode by the end but could probably have pushed it on for a couple more miles if needed so the basic training is pretty much done I reckon. Need to knock the booze on the head before these long ones though. Also probably need to get out a bit earlier although, ironically, it started to rain a bit as we ventured home which would have been ideal for this run. Maybe I should train more in Manchester for guaranteed precipitation.

Soundtrack - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. Lyre of Orpheus / Abattoir Blues & Murder Ballads.

Occasionally Australia's Nick Cave steps out of his darkest of shadows and snatches a few more, soon-to-be devoted fans from a more mainstream audience. He has managed to do this on several occasions over his lengthy career but still plough his own very singular furrow of folk/punk/blues/gospel. Perhaps he could be compared to Tom Waits in this respect. His clever use of Kylie Minogue for the song "Where The Wild Roses Grow" from the brilliantly morbid "Murder Ballads"    album secured them both new admirers from across the board. This album made up the final leg of my run and the juicy, bluesy, sweary stories kept my attention well and truly off the blisters for the final few miles. I once wrote and produced a play with my students based on the song "The Curse of Millhaven" from the same album which I keep meaning to return to for a polish up/reworking. Not that Nick Cave's work benefits from any kind of polish (or half-baked theatrical adaptation!). The Bad Seeds play and sound best when dirty, sloppy and almost as if they're all playing different songs. They don't quite build grooves in the traditional funky sense but can capture a vaguely discordant feel that both borrows heavily from blues riffs but sounds avant garde and experimental in equal measures. Lyre of Orpheus, both song and album present this notion excellently and also highlight the intellect and literary nature of much of Cave's lyrics. Biblical/mythical references all add to the fire and brimstone delivery in Cave's tales of apocalyptic love and death. "Lyre" is the mellower of the two albums released as a single package. "Abattoir Blues", as the title would suggest, is a darker, heavier affair though not without soulful moments. These two albums marked another moment when Cave enjoyed some mainstream success with critical acclaim for the work drawing in new fans. Strange for what amounts to a double album to do that. It's the stories at the heart of the best of Nick Cave's work that keep you hooked and live he is a mesmerising figure; part preacher, part pimp, part vampire, part Vic Reeves. It's not surprising that he has also moved into writing novels and screenplays although I reckon the best is yet to come in those fields, as good as his first forays have been.

Stupidity Tries

Distance 5km ish - Time 22:53

Felt really strong on this run today. Had been really muggy all day with the clouds and rain finally drifting in around tea-time making me not particularly want to go out. Set off at a pace that I thought I'd regret but stayed steady on it throughout the run, save for a sprint at the end. Thought I might slow down for the second lap of Albert Park but my body just kept going. Happy with the time too. A bit of short of 5km I think but probably still an improvement on recent runs of the same distance. Could probably do with some new trainers soon for the Great North Run in time to wear them in. Always a gamble with me as I struggle to find trainers and shoes that are comfortable anyway. Lack of funds doesn't help either although I'm chuffed that I've met my initial target in the fundraising before the first deadline. Thanks to all who have so far donated.

If you still want to donate (I'm running for Mind - The Mental Health Charity) then you can text ANDJ71 £(amount) to 70070. The number you put in the amount will be for the full run, not per mile etc.

Soundtrack - Elliot Smith - Figure 8

I came to Elliot Smith very late, through a song by Ben Folds called, ironically, It's Too Late. Elliot died in a pretty gruesome and mysterious manner in 2003. You get that feeling that he's one of those people you could stick any instrument in his hand and he'd come up with something musical in moments. Playing a good deal of the instruments on most of his albums he crafted a distinctive, idiosyncratic and beguiling soundscape. Use of multi-tracked vocals, intricately picked guitar and harmonies were key elements. There's a flavour of The Beatles more melancholy moments in his songs and melodies and his songs tend to drift in and out without much bluster or overt dynamic. These aren't criticisms. His recordings always "sound right". The feel of the work was just as important as the playing. I can identify with this in my own recordings where the playing is, usually, secondary (not always through choice!) but I'm happy if I capture the right feel or something approaching the sound in my head.
I can't imagine really listening to Elliot Smith with others. I can't really imagine anyone else going running to it either! It's lonely music but, again, in a good way. You can get lost in it. It's something you might put on late at night if you're writing a dissertation or have a load of organising to do, maybe a big pile of ironing. This sounds like damning with faint praise but I don't mean to. Elliot Smith, will, no doubt be held in a similar light as Nick Drake (with whom he shares some musical similarities) has been, given time and there's a wealth of unreleased material too. Figure 8 and XO are good places to start for the newcomer, although more richly arranged than some of his earlier work.
Almost forgot to mention that Elliot had a number of mental health issues to live with (and ultimately die in no small part because of as the available evidence would suggest - Depression, psychosis and paranoia leading to suicidal tendencies and multiple attempts). So he may not be the ideal running music (although I enjoyed it) but he's possibly the most appropriate for the cause I'm running for.

It's a young man's game

There's been a bit of a recurring theme through this blog/training; Heavy drinking followed by a run the next day (or a run followed by heavy drinking, can't remember which came first.). This blog is a tale of two runs. One preceded by a heroic drinking session, the other by a quiet, if somewhat sleepless night stone cold-sober (the two latter facts might be related).

Sunday 8 Miles - 1 Hr 10 Mins

Kirklevington / Picton loop. I ran this a couple of times as a teenager in my slimmer, fitter days. the time hasn't changed a great deal though so perhaps not that much fitter if definitely slimmer. A decent run with a few undulations to keep me occupied. Not much traffic and I got more of a shock when a cyclist rode past close. Might have been Paul Heaton on his way to a gig...

Soundtrack - Paul Heaton - The Cross Eyed Rambler / Acid Country

The Beautiful South's swansong full-length recording was the aptly named "Superbi". I didn't buy it at the time. I'd long since strayed from their gravitational pull but would return with force when setting up The Southmartins. Superbi is a real grower of an album with an edgier, countrified production. It sounds pretty "live" compared to a lot of their earlier stuff and particularly the preceding two albums Gaze and Painting It Red (Neither of which have yet to float my boat fully). Paul's first Solo album after the split followed a similar vein to my ears but was noticably more edgy in production, performance and its overtly politically charged lyrics. Somewhere between The Housemartins (Mermaids and Slaves), The Strokes (I Do) and the countrified rock of Superbi (God Bless Texas) it is choc-full of musical and lyrical hooks. The writing on Superbi was watertight and gone were the recent clumsy lyrical scans and attempts to sound too modern and "groovy". Cross Eyed Rambler, although somewhat conservative some might say in its rock rich palette has a great deal to offer upon repeated listens and it's the songs that maybe don't grab you first time amid the bluster of the punkier moments that reward in the long term. Deckchair Collapsed and Little Red Rooster with their tempo / rhythm shifts and bouncy choruses are two such highlights. The closing song; Everything is Everything; is, perhaps, the defining song of Paul's solo career so far though. It's a state of the nation address which points a  magnifying glass at the current culture of 24 hour media, social networking and gossip-mongering. It set the lyrical template for the centrepiece of his next album "Acid Country" and preceded his long-song cycle "The 8th" with its expansive narrative. Modern folk music indeed. With the iPod skipping a few tracks I had to move onto Acid Country, a slightly more subdued affair with a definite lean towards country-rock. Just what I needed to be honest for the last couple of miles, rather than a boost of testosterone and I finished on the beautiful This House, contemplating whether to include it in the next live set. I guess Paul doesn't wholeheartedly approve of tribute acts (neither do I to be fair) but his canon of work certainly deserves more credit than it's received.

Tuesday - Distance 6 miles. Time 54 mins

6 miles. Easy enough after the 8 on Sunday. I picked the route from walkjogrun.net and, yes, I sa it had Ormesby Bank on it. Ormesby Bank, for those outside of Teesside (or those who never stray from Yarm!) is about a mile or so of gradually increasing incline heading out towards Nunthorpe and Guisborough. No beer last night so I was fairly well primed. Turning onto the bank I looked ahead and could see the summit and thought "actually, that's not as bad as I thought. Let's go" or something similar. Halfway up this bank I remembered that the road dips slightly at the top to pass over the Parkway and then begins to climb again...steeper. I didn't stop though for the full 6 miles. With a mantra of "Gary Barlow! Gary Barlow!" in my head I made it to the top. Slowly. The beauty of such a hill is that it's mostly downhill from there. My only real worry was could my legs hold out after that prolonged climb? Eddie Izzard, on running his ridiculous amount of marathons said he got to a point and his body just said "right this is what I'm doing now. I'm running" and there's a sense of that coming over me now. I'm actually being quite disciplined (apart from the drinking) in my approach to this and making sure I get out and cover the distances. I'm also trying to teach myself some traditional Irish tunes on the guitar so that if by chance I end up at Sidmouth again next year I can hold my own next to the Kitts sisters (that sounds very wrong). Failing that I'll have to bother the local pubs with some diddly-iddly-aye. The point that links the two is that, just like running, if you repeatedly perform a task (playing intricate patterns on the guitar over and over, running for prolonged periods, regulalry) your body begins to do it as a matter of course. I've learned one song so far "John Ryan's Polka" and I'm working on another, "Paddy Doory's Jig" with my aim being to make it to "The Rocky Road to Dublin" by next summer. Again, it's taken determination, discipline and patience. I struggle with all of these things but there seems to be something to be said for them as they're paying off.

Soundtrack - The Coral - Butterfly House / Invisible Invasion

There are a few bands that we, the British, take for granted. Supergrass were one of them. They wrote and recorded some classic and classy indie-rock-pop tunes in their time to diminishing public response ending in a quiet demise. The Coral are another band that, like Supergrass, eschew contemporary influences in favour of music from the past to create timeless sounds. Butterfly House is the Coral's latest album and, sonically, something of a departure. John Leckie, who produced The Stone Roses classic debut, was at the helm and he has washed their previously crystal clear sound with reverb and fairy dust to create something approaching the atmosphere in a hot, steamy, psychedelic greenhouse. Where the vocals were always to the fore he has pulled them back into the swamp of the mix and, although a shock to the system to fans on first hearing, he has breathed new life into their tight bag of influences. The Byrds / Crosby Still & Nash are key touchstones on this albums with the close, folk-rock harmonies and jangling guitars but they still end up sounding like The Coral. Their increasingly dour sound has developed since the bouncy, breakthrough single "Dreaming of You" ten or so years ago (yes, really). Where the influence of Madness often punched through, now the details and dynamics are more subtle and there is always an air of it being the end of summer in their songs. My favourite album of theirs would still probably be The Invisible Invasion, produced by Portishead team Geoff Barrow and Adrian Utley. There's a touch of Can about the opener She Sings The Mourning and a darkness throughout the album that hints at ghosts outside your tent at night. Hopefully the success of Butterfly House in re-establishing them as a vital force will give them the momentum to carry on slightly under the radar.

Hannah and her sisters

Distance - 4.3km - Time 22mins

Needed to do 4 miles really but will add to tomorrow's to make that up. Felt strong running today and think my general fitness has improved, thanks to keeping it up over the holiday in Devon and despite the daily drinking during said holiday. Just over a month now until the run so need to get more longer runs under my belt. 8 miles on Sunday. Finally got to watch some Olympics too after listening all week on 5 Live, which was perfectly nice and evocative. As was this...

Soundtrack - The Pogues

Two reasons for this selection today. One, while I was away The Pogues played at Stockton Weekender so was a bit gutted to miss that and watching the video back it looked decent with MacGowan on surprisingly good form. Wouldn't expect anything less than brilliance from the rest of the band really. Like a lot of English people I consider The Pogues to be Irish music but it's not really and borrows from a lot of different genres as the album "If I Should Fall From Grace With God" highlights. There's a decidedly "global" feel to the songs with middle-eastern, tex/mex and even swing filtered through an admittedly celtic sieve. I attended a day at Sidmouth Folk festival on Wednesday and saw Eliza and Martin Carthy perform which was great but the highlight for me was when I wandered into The Anchor Inn to see something a bit less formal. a group of, mostly bearded, musicians sat in a corner jamming through traditional folk tunes of a mostly Irish provenance on a variety of instruments.I say "jammed" but they knew what they were doing really and sat out of tunes they were unfamiliar with. I was dying to join in but wouldn't know where to begin without adding a decidedly cacophonous element to the proceedings. I toyed with the idea of playing/singing some pop/neo-folk stuff but wasn't convinced they would stray from what appeared to be a very strict repertoire and I would have probably gone down like a lead balloon with my clumsily played simplistic nonsense. I didn't have an instrument with me either which was possibly a bonus in hindsight.
A few younger, mostly beardless, musicians drifted in and joined in. Three sisters, one of whom was definitely called Hannah (hence the blog title) brought a bit of a looser energy to the table, two of them played fine fiddle and two (does that make four?) even did a bit of traditional Irish dancing which seemed to involve holding their skirts down whilst stamping out an imaginary fire in a highly synchronised manner. It was marvellous of course and I bloody loved it.
Coincidentally I was just about to have a conversation with Hannah about running (she is also doing a half-marathon later in the year) when a salty old sea-dog cornered her and scared her back off into the musical pit so if by some strange quirk of fate you are reading this Hannah then good luck. If an old codger like me can manage it then I'm sure a young slip of a thing like you will have no problems ;)

I chose the Pogues song because one of the only things I recognised them playing at the session was Rocky Road To Dublin which forms the central section of the medley. I'm determined to learn it but it's trickier than it sounds and that's without the lyrics! Check out The Dubliners' version for a lesson in breath control.

The Beautiful South (west)

Distances - 3miles / 3 miles / 4 miles / 8.1 miles

Been away to Devon for ten days or so but managed to get a few runs in, including the aptly named Killerton Park run. Arrived late and had to sprint up a ridiculously steep hill causing me to stop...at the start. I managed to crack on though through hills and dales, puddles and mudbaths. Managed a reasonably respectable 27 mins ish although the official time was 29 something due to me arriving/starting late. Didn't stop all the way round though which, bearing in mind some of the hills, was an achievement in itself.
Stayed at the Forest Glade campsite near Cullompton, camping in a tent for the first time in about thirty years. It rained pretty much every day and night but we travelled about a bit so chased the sun around where possible and still had a good time. Other runs were up and down the roads near the site and the long run was mostly downhill so not too strenuous although the stamina side of it was tough after a few nights of Sheppy's 7.4% Oak Matured cider. Couple of days off until today. Need to work off a couple of bacon sandwiches, plenty of folk-fuelled Guinness (more later) and another night of Sheppy's last night. All part of the training though!

Soundtracks

Lloyd Cole & The Commotions - Rattlesnakes album.

A kind of older, U.S. influenced brother to The Smiths, the Commotions released a couple of great albums in Rattlesnakes and the follow up Easy Pieces, a patchy third before Lloyd Cole embarked on a solo career which, after the tuneless first album (called X - maybe he wanted to cross it out immediately after making it) I failed to follow. Rattlesnakes is a kind of soulful, country, bluesier pop version of the gentler moments of The Velvet Underground with some great, intelligent but still playful lyrics. It's aged pretty well and compares favourably to The Smiths first, poorly produced debut.

Can - Future Days

Aaah. Can. Fell in love with them back in the early 1990s after picking up a copy of the "greatest hits" compilation Opener (Can - Opener. geddit?) for a couple of quid. Still sounding fresh, funky and unique 40ish years after its release, Future Days is, perhaps, their most accessible album. Only four songs, three of which clock in at about 9 mins each. The title track, with its one note bassline, builds to a spacey, almost drum'n'bass crescendo with whispered vocals from Damo Suzuki (I've played two gigs in his band and he stayed at my house!). The equally hypnotic Spray genuinely helped me up a hill I would ordinarily have capitulated to.

Cardigans - best of (again)

Woof! Used this, partly due to length, for the long run of 8.1 miles. Still a bit obsessed with them and their lovely chord progressions amongst other things. I had a bit of time to listen closer to some of the later stuff and I'm finding myself drawn in. More rock/country than the earlier, jazzier, pop but still really well written and lyrically quite skewed too.