Part of my training for the Chicago Marathon has involved running Cardiff’s ParkRun. The ParkRun is brilliant, it takes part every week at 9.am, starts from (and finishes at) the Taff Trail near the Western Avenue Tesco in a 5k loop, is free and is run by volunteers. There’s a real mix of ages and abilities and a great municipal atmosphere. The route is lovely, I never really appreciate it when I’m running the course but do enjoy it cycling back and fore. It is timed and you get a email ranking your run if you want, and of course I do. Back in February I was running the ParkRun with my running coach and feeling cocky I sped off at the start, I couldn’t keep up the pace, felt wobbly have way around and threw up when I crossed the finish line. I’m a classy bird.  I should have paced myself of course, but it remains my best time thus far, I was confident that I would beat it last Saturday, but my Garmin wouldn’t give me my pace and I had to stop to do my laces! Doh! Next time…

Most of the ParkRun route is my default Sunday long run route, and the great delight (alongside the gorgeous scenery) is that every Sunday I bump into someone I know, when the weather’s good and I’m feeling good my Sunday run is one of life’s joys.

My training has had a boost recently. I had my diet checked by a dietician (which makes sense) and since have cut down on my sugar and caffeine and increased my protein and vegetable intake and I’m feeling the benefit!

You couldn’t fault the ambition behind the Cate Le Bon ‘Canton Crawl’ All Dayer. It was arranged by the people behind the brilliant Swn Festival in a covered Courtyard  at the Printhaus, but as with festivals it all came down to the weather, which was pretty shit, wet, windy and cold. Larvely. Not that it mattered much to me to be honest cause I arranged to meet my bestest mate Matthew in Chapter, and we ended up yapping and catching up and so only ended up getting round to the Printhaus  about twenty minutes before Cate was do on.

Now yes, it was cold, but is that an excuse for that many Bobble Hats? They are really are the de rigueur hat wear for the Cardiff indie aficionado these days, but I’ll be sticking with my Captain America Beenie thank you very much.

The gig had a nice thrown together/festival mood which the weather couldn’t dampen. Cate Le Bon though was oddly flat. I love the first album and the new one - “CYRK” - but the songs seem to get lost in the open.  I heard from The Captain that the organisers want to do more of these one off events , and although this wasn’t entirely successful I hope they do cause given the right conditions it would be really brilliant.

Only two days later I went to Spillers for the Cate Le Bon instore (Double Le Bong!) and the songs really benefited from being in a more enclosed space. It was also good to bump into my Llanelli Half/Record Store Day mates and yap at them.

“Are you going to get your album signed?” I asked Paul, he snorted in reply and said “I’m not twelve.”

It would seem that I am though cause I did get the album signed and did manage not to say anything embarrassing which is quite a feat for me.

Now it does annoy me the way that AD Agencies use the lazy short hand of football for the male demographic. White, middle class heterosexual male? Then you MUST be into Football! What team do you support? Dalek United. However sometimes there is a kernel of truth in these clichés as was evidenced when I queued up for Record Store Day outside Diverse Records on Saturday. Of the dozen or so hardy souls I think there was one woman (not counting Alex who came down for the ride with me Steve and Paul). I’m not saying that it’s just men of certain age who collect records, but that was certainly my experience on the day. I did promise myself that I wouldn’t become a vinyl ponce, but that’s what I’ve become since artists began to bundle in download codes/CDs with the vinyl.

I have previously gone to Spillers for Record Store Day, but it’s been getting busier and busier so when my mate Paul suggested coming along to Diverse Records (as it had been a lot quieter than Spillers previous year) I’d managed to boil down my list to six, I clutched my list as the doors opened and we pilled in. “They’re over there!” the under siege owner shouted and pointed to some racks, which were soon the scene of a scrum. I managed to pick up the ‘Doctor Who Sound Effects’ reissue almost as soon as I got in, found a copy of  The Flaming Lips / mastodon – 7” pink vinyl and lastly got The Beatles singles boxset which I never expected to get. I hesitated and missed out on 'Mclusky Does Dallas’ and a single from ‘The Wicker Man’. Top of my list of wants the soundtrack to ‘Dracula AD 1972’ and a new ‘Smoke Fairies’ EP were no where to be seen. It was a mad scramble and seemed to be over far too quickly. While in the scrum I did hear someone say: “Could you pass me the Gallagher single? Ta!” then I saw a Rory Gallagher single be handed by with a disappointed “Wrong Gallagher…”

We did decided to go to Spillers, but even at 10:45 the queue was massive so we went for brunch.

I did go down to Spillers the next day to see if I could tick any more off my list. Spillers didn’t have the appearance of a place which had been ransacked the day before, but there was a guy in there who had the same idea as me and was getting all aspergers over the list of what they had left. Graf of Spillers did have a ‘you’ll never know what went on in ‘Nam’ look in his eyes from the previous day, and told me that the first peson had started queuing at 3 in the morning! Blimey! I didn’t get the AD 72 soundtrack but did get the Mclusky album and the new Malcolm in the Middleton project – ‘Human Don’t Be Angry’ – which I didn’t know was out, so pretty successful all in all, and I may possibly get one of the Smoke Fairies EPs.

I love Record Store Day. There’s a giddy excitement and anticipation, and it's a great excuse to spend time with mates yapping about a shared passion and of course it pushes people through the doors of their local record store which has to be good.

School night gigs eh? Young man’s game. Still after a full day in London I got back to Cardiff and dragged myself out to Ten Feet Tall to see Clock Opera.

Now I’d like to give a really cool reason for seeing the band, but their debut album had a good review in Mojo and I saw their picture on the April Listings for Buffalo/10 Feet and thought why not?

Thought they were great if a little generic. The lead singer’s voice reminded me of Guy Garvey, the band sound was very ‘Everything Everything’ and they went in for the big, sweeping anthemic numbers which is always a winner. I think they’re going to be massive and wouldn’t be surprised to see them playing Arenas in five years. I would certainly go and see them in a tiny venue while I still can and I’ll be buying the album. Just need to remember the secret word that was agreed the band and the audience for the next time…

Last week saw me walk blinking into the light from Green Park Tube station. Although this is only the second time I’ve entered something into the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition the route seemed very familiar. Although having said that as I stood outside Green Park I thought “Right or left?” when I saw some giggly people carrying canvases on my left I knew that was the way to go.

I overheard one of my fellow hopefuls say “It’s all very exciting isn’t it?” and indeed it is, this kind of expectation is always very heady although it was tempered slightly for me because I typically needed to find a public convenience. I decided to wait until I’d dropped off my painting.

After my work was rejected last year I went round the exhibition, and as a few people had told me they favoured smaller work, which is what I entered this year. I did see a few people with huge canvases and couldn’t help but think “They’ll never get in…” only my second year and I’m already an old (s)lag.

My painting was wrapped up in bubble wrap and cardboard, padded in the same way as Maggie Simpson would be on a Winter’s day. In the holding pen with everyone else I couldn’t find the pair of scissors I was sure I’d packed to cut the painting free, and although I had tons of time I began to sweat and panic a little. One of the staff said it would be fine to borrow the scissors of the admin guy in the black hat. The waspish black hated bloke seemed a little pissed off to lend me his scissors as if I’d asked to make an omelette with his Faberge eggs. They are very well organised there cause as soon as I’d unwrapped it the painting was in the hands of the handlers and it was off. The whole thing was over really quickly leaving me to totter towards the Piccadilly Circus toilets.

A Buddhist friend told me awhile ago that I needed to simplify my life, I think he was right. I do have a tendency to spread myself a bit thin and for the last year I’ve been learning German. The catalyst for this was my participation in the Berlin marathon, and after that I liked the idea of learning. This is all fine and dandy if I wasn’t writing a book, painting and training for the Chicago marathon amongst other things. I actually quite enjoy juggling all these interests when the endorphins are flying; the trouble comes when I have the occasional flat time when everything – even stuff that I love – seems like a gigantic pain in the arse.

I managed to drag myself back to my German lessons after two weeks away and landed straight in the middle of a test. It was proper dry mouth, cold sweat nightmare material. My mind went blank and I could feel a low grade panic bumping me along. I sat the test and then got the fuck out of there. The big problem I had was that I wasn’t studying between lessons enough (I could never bring myself to study as much as I needed I’d rather write) because there was no good reason for me to do it, I just fancied learning German. It was sorta going in but not enough. So I decided to throw in the towel.

I hate giving up learning German, maybe I just don’t have the head for languages? Tomorrow I submit a painting to the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, so hopefully I can begin to simplify and concentrate on what’s important to me. There’s a short story which I’ve written, and it would be wrong to say that I’ve been working on it for six months cause I’ve probably done two hours on it in that time, I’m determined to get it finished in the next two weeks...       

Recovering from the brilliant and random Jeff Mangum ATP (All Tomorrow's Parties). There's a malaise which settles over me a few days after a great festival which makes getting back to real life a schlep.

I set off with Jas, Woody and Captain Keef in our the mighty Canyonero (who knew that there was a sixth gear?!) on the Friday. I must admit that I wasn't in a festival mood as I still had a cold was  feeling a bit rough, but the general bonhomie carried me along. The first day lineup was a little thin but that wasn't a bad thing. I really enjoyed the first of Joanna Newsom's sets, it reminded me why I liked her in the first place. Woody told me that she's had a voice op which has slightly lowered it. After Newsom I saw a bit of The Fall, and a very awkward set from Thurston Moore.

I'm known for early doors at a festival but managed to cling on for the energetic set from the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. Never seen them before thought they were great.

Saturday I was up with the larks (11am) and went for a swim (which is when I think I picked up an eye infection, scabby hipsters!). Tried to get into see the A Hawk and a Hacksaw soundtrack set but it was oversubscribed so the next act I got to see were the amazing Boredoms. I think there were 58 drummers  and 108 guitarists on stage (okay they may have been slightly less) making the most amazing spectacular  and noise, it's the best thing about festivals seeing a band you didn't know about blowing you way. The band of the festival for me. 

Saw Apples in Stereo next who were alright, then a bit of Feathers who I thought were awful. The second Joanna Newsom set was completely different from the one she'd done the day before and was just as great. I did the CD swap but t'was a little disappointed, should have done more copies of mine.... 

I'd be looking forward to Low since they were announced, and went down the front to watch the band. I did get annoyed when some blokes started yapping and I told them off. What's the point in going to the front of a band if you're going to talk? If you want to yap go to the back or the bar. Grrrrrr. The yapping stopped and the set was great. Sunflower was a highlight for me. Randomly Alan Sparhawk said that he was going out running at 1pm if anyone wanted to join him, I was planning to go for a run anyway and had my kit and thought why not? Running with Low coming soon to Channel 5 followed by Table Tennis with Joanna Newsom.

Next band I saw were Earth, never heard of them before and they were an a-typical ATP band, sludgy, droney but I loved. Not always in the mood for this type of thing but it really clicked with me and I'm planning to get some of their stuff, oh yeah and the lead guitarist sounded like a high pitched version of Cleetus from the Simpsons.

Last band of the day for me were Scratch Acid. Dave Yow's (from the Jesus Lizard) other band. Really great, old school crowd surfing and stage diving, hope I look better than Dave Yow when I reach his age.

After a bit of faffing the next day I was ready to go running with Low. There were around a dozen of us and I got talking to a lovely Beardo called Dave. There were some of us in running gear and some Indie chancers turned up in their skinny jeans (Ooo that's gonna chaff!) and satchels. Eventually Alan Sparhawk and Steve Garrington of the band turned up and we were off! Garrington was like shit off a shovel and I didn't seem him for the entire run, Sparhawk was at the back.

We ran through Minehead and up the nearby Mountain. It was a challenging run as it was really steep and my hamstrings were screaming at me, but the surroundings were gorgeous and with it being a misty day it all got a bit Middle Earth, amazing. We got to the top of the Mountain and then wondered what to do, as we started to head down we were joined by Sparhawk and a few others.  We headed back down at a quicker pace and Sparhawk has a charming habit of spinning his arms when he goes around corners. I got talking to him around the end of the run and suggested that Low should play Cardiff, so don't expect them to come within a mile of Wales ever, We ran around 6 miles, a good run and one of the highlights of the festival for me.

After I'd showered I went to see Boredoms again, just to make sure I had seen what I'd seen and again they were amazing. After that the day was a little thin. I saw Lost in Trees who were sorta West Coast/Low Anthem/esque who were a perfect counterbalance to the bonkers Boredoms, saw a bit of Versus who were alright. I was disappointed by the Magnetic Fields who I had been looking forward to but the sound was weedy (apparanetly Stephin Merritt has a hearing poblem so the levels have to be pretty low) and there was some odd onstage bickering that I wasn't in the mood for. I happened across the Tall Firs, melancholic Americana which I loved and will have to look out for.

The last act I saw of the weekend was the curator Jeff Mangum (who I couldn't stop calling Jeff Magnum throughout the weekend). I hadn't really heard his stuff beofre Jas mentioned him to me and I thought he was good, but not as much as some people. He got a euphoric welcome, and the crowd were blissed out. I must admit I didn't really get it.

A great weekend, lots of surprises and new finds. I just wish I could get The Rutland Weekend Television sketch which was on loop on the TV out of my head and the smell of hot dogs out of my clothes. 

Jesus I feel rough. It is doubtless connected with running the Llanelli half

marathon on Sunday.

As I walked in the rain down to my pick up point in Cardiff I was thinking; "Well it looks as though it's clearing up..." which is what I always thinking when I'm staring down the barrel of a wet outdoor festival. Luckily it did start to clear up around ten minutes from the start line just as Steve and Rich (the two mates who gave me a lift down and who were also running) got stuck in a traffic jam. In a repeat of last year almost as soon as we got there we were at the start line and running, which is good as it was bloody freezing.

I'd been given some advice to start off slow, which in retrospect I wish I hadn't done. Before the run I was confident that I could beat my personal best from last year of 1:38 and had set my Garmin for a pace that would bring me in at a PB. I slowed myself down in the first mile but then picked up the pace to hit my time. I did have to push it but for the most I was getting it. The course is quite a challenging one, lots of undulation and the weather wasn't great but coming into mile 9 I was feeling good and I thought I was doing a good time. There comes a point for me during every run that I get a buzz from the adrenaline and feel like I'm flying but I didn't feel it this time. I was pushing it for all the 13 plus miles. It was around mile 11 that I realised that I wasn't going to get a PB which was demoralising than at mile 12 someone dressed as the Cookie-Monster ran past me.

I was disappointed when I past the finish line and headed for the chip van for the guilt free bag of chips which had kept me going. It was only when I was sat eating my chips that I was able to take in the full splendor of the memento that Llanelli were giving to runners this year. A small golden dap with "Llanelli half marathon 2012" inscribed on it. Why they don't go for the default medal escapes me. The Golden Dap of Llanelli also came with a cheap and nasty baseball cap which didn't make it back to my flat and a much needed bottle of water. Last year was they gave runners a shit paper weight which I binned a few weeks later.

Along with the Golden Dap of Llanelli I seem to have picked up a cold which is why I'm feeling rough. I hope I can get rid of it soon, teh cold that is, the dap stays.

Two gigs in a week, and both on school nights? Well that’s just preposterous! I would make it three gigs by going to the Truckers of Husk gig Saturday night if I wasn’t doing the Llanelli half-marathon the next day, but let’s not be greedy…

The first was Beth Jeans Houghton at the Buffalo bar. I was really surprised when I got there cause it was really busy. I normally get in stoopidly early and end up kicking my heels with the sound engineer, but it was packed, then weirdly seemed to empty out a bit for the hearliner.  I’d aimed to get there for 9 an hour after the doors opened to duck out of the support band. Unfortunately there were two support bands a solo female singer who wasn’t bad and a band who were a bit too Noah and the Mumfords for my taste. Luckily my wife and I bumped into our mate Steve and his girlfriends. Steve’s running the Llanelli half as well so we spent most of the support bands yapping about that.

Beth Jeans Houghton wasn’t bad. You can’t fault the songs which were brilliant, but she really needs to dial down the twee as it borders on being smug at times.

“Like a Prayer” was this gig's ironic cover version which closed the show and in the words of the late Frank Carson it was a cracker. There was an encore but I was fading and Sian didn’t take kindly to Beth Jeans barging her out of the way so she could get back to the stage. Some heroically and annoyingly drunk - for a Monday night – punters made the gig a bit of a mixed bag to be honest.

The second gig was Sharon Van Etten doing an in-store at Rough Trade in London last night. I seem to have spent a big portion of my adult life squinting up at street names in London and looking back at a creased piece of paper in my hand. Found Rough Trade and boy, I was drooling over all the lovely records and stuff (I wasn't literally drooling, that would be disgusting). I did get a little thrill at saying “I’m on the guest list.” on the door and being shown in.

It was all dark rimmed glasses, skin jeans and short eighties hair cuts for the mainly hipster crowd, which led to quite a muted response when Van Etten took to the stage. I finally managed to break my run of bands not playing by favourite song (“We don’t do that one anymore.”) when she did “Kevin’s”, I did a little “Woop!” to myself. It wasn’t a “Wooping” type of gig. Brilliant set with a rockier version of “Serpents”, really glad I went despite getting back to Cardiff at stupid O clock.    

There seems to have been a wave of really great music out recently, and so gentle reader I thought I’d go through what’s been worming into my ear over the last few months.

Old Ideas – Laughing Leonard Cohen. It’s not an unheard of for a ‘seasoned’ artists to have an autumnal revival, think Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan and now Cohen seems to be enjoying one. I’m kicking myself that I didn’t go and see him when he played Cardiff on his “My Accountant Fucked Me” tour, but I was skint at the time and couldn’t justify the 60 odd quid for a ticket.

The album is a hushed, deep and sparse affair and - would you believe – quite funny. It’s as good as any of his classic work and there can’t be any higher praise.

Lion’s Roar – First Aid Kit.  At the end of the age scale to Cohen are First Aid Kit a Swedish folk duo in their early twenties. Although Their music and subject matter sounds belays their youth. I first heard the band on the wonderful Marc Riley show and subsequently saw them support ‘Slow Club’ at Barfly and then later at Greenman. The album is on constantly on my Spod, and their cover of the Fleet Foxes Tiger Mountain Peasant Song is well worth checking out.

Tramp – Sharon Van Etten. I’m stupidly happy to be going to an in store she’s doing at Rough Trade next week. Talking of Rough Trade their the reason I know about Van Etten is because I’m a member of their Album Club. Every month they send three albums to me and they can be hit and miss but for me “Tramp” is right on the money. Really great and shares the depth that “Old Ideas” and “Lion’s Roar” have.

Funeral Blues - Mark Lanegan. I real 6Music choice this, you can't really talk about Lanegan without mentioning his wonderful 40 Benson and Hedges a day voice. I've been lucky enough to see him in a few guises over the years in Queens of the Stone Age and with Isobel Campbell at the Point (now that was a weird gig, they barely looked at each let alone spoke) but I never got to see his original band The Screaming Trees (I’ve also been loving their recently released ‘lost’ album Last Words).

When it comes to individual tracks I've only just become aware of the mentally brilliant Ice Cream by the Battles.

Lots of stuff coming up that I'm looking forward to such as the newCate Le Bon album, and may go and see Beth Jeans Houghton next week...