My training schedule today said to run “one-half mile, easy.” Of course I can run a half mile, but no pace would have been easy today. It turns out it’s not so easy to run with a broken heart and tears in your eyes.

Yesterday, Angi Ring, aka Bubbles, passed away from complications that set in after her bone marrow transplant in March. She was 42. I wish I had to words to tell those of you who didn’t know her how special she was. She was the kindest, happiest, most optimistic person I ever met. The kind of person who made you want to be a better person every second you were around her. The kind of person who was always there with a warm smile, a helping hand, a loving word.

I had planned to run this race and raise funds in her honor. Instead, I will be doing it in her memory. I am working on my fundraising page today and will post a link to it when I am done. I wish that no one else would ever have to go through the pain that Angi did and the loss her family and friends feel today, and maybe my efforts can help make that happen.

Until then, “keep your head up. That’s where the bubbles are.”