Going to the Disneyland with the Middle School Band

This is a picture from The Pea's first 6th grade concert.  She's been playing the flute since 5th grade, and she liked it so much she decided to stick with band throughout middle school.  Band is a big commitment; it takes up 2 precious electives every year, and it requires time for practice as well as concerts.  Band isn't the most glamorous choice of middle school electives either; the stereotype of the band nerd is alive and well even today.

I'm really proud of The Pea's commitment to band. She's getting all the benefits of a musical education, and she has made a really great group of friends, who are secure enough and self-confident enough to ignore the stereotypes and proudly call  themselves band nerds.

What's in my runDisney playlist

Finishing a runDisney 5k, 10k, or half-marathon is a big Must-Do item on my bucket list.  Who wouldn't want to put on a running tutu (note to SELF magazine, tutus aren't lame -- you are) or Disney-inspired outfit and race through a Disney park?  However, at this point in time I just can't justify the cost, so I'm really excited about doing the next-best thing: a special runDisney 2-mile fun run at the Disney Social Media Moms conference.

Naturally, since it's a Disney event, I've made a Disney song playlist to run to!  I've been running to these songs for years (other than Let It Go, which I added in November), but they were always part of other playlists, not in a Disney playlist of their own.  Here are the songs on my Disney playlist:

• Let It Go (Frozen, 3:43)
• Touch The Sky (Brave, 2:31)
• Strangers Like Me (Tarzan, 3:00)
• Son of Man (Tarzan, 2:44)
• I'll Make a Man Out of You (Mulan, 3:21)
• I Just Can't Wait to Be King (Lion King, 2:50)
• Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride (Lilo & Stitch, 3:27)
• Burning Love (Lilo & Stitch, 2:51)
• Pirates of the Caribbean Theme Song (Pirates of the Caribbean, 2:09)

(Note, this playlist only has 9 songs and totals 26.6 minutes, so I'm still looking for 1 last song to bring it to 30 minutes.  Many people like Go The Distance from Hercules (which, at 3:14, brings the playlist to just under 30 minutes), but I'm not a big fan, mainly because the tempo is so slow.  For now, to bring the playlist to just over 30 minutes, I've added the Let It Go Karaoke version).

I love running to these songs because they're all uptempo, heavy on the beat, and high on the energy.  While I'm running, I can pretend I'm running through the African serengeti, the Scottish highlands, the beaches of Hawaii, the Great Wall of China, and all the other amazing locations these movies are set in.  When my energy levels falter, I think of Mulan racing towards the Imperial City, trying to outrun the Huns; I think of Elsa, realizing that she's not just running away from her past, she's running toward her freedom; I think of Merida, running because she's so happy to be free from duty and tradition. If those gals can run, so can I! And just like that, my spirits begin to lift, and I truly feel like I can "Chase the wind and Touch The Sky".

Do you have a Disney running playlist?  What Disney songs do you like to run to?