Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com
Published - Sunday, October 12, 2003
KIRK BEY: UW-L's Plinske is winning his race
A big part of Paul Plinske's life, both as a runner and as a person, over the past year is chronicled on his office computer in UW-La Crosse's Mitchell Hall. Getting the chance to read it is like being given access to a meticulously kept diary — one in which his observations and frustrations are duly noted in spreadsheet form.
Somehow, it just doesn't make sense that Plinske, UW-L's associate athletic director, has been able to keep such semblance of order in his life. It was a year ago last Wednesday that Plinske was diagnosed with testicular cancer. It was just nine months ago that he was undergoing chemotherapy. And it was just eight months ago when running for more than five minutes was simply excruciating for him. His lungs, his muscles, burned as if they had been wrapped in kerosene-soaked rags and set ablaze.
But today, Plinske is aglow with the ecstasy of knowing he has beaten cancer. On second thought, he's absolutely crushed the horrible disease like Warren Sapp would some running back trying to get past the line of scrimmage. The proof is in the way Plinske looks; he's carrying a lean 172 pounds on his 6-foot frame. It's in his attitude, the way he truly appreciates his job and the people he cares about.
And, it's in the way Plinske is running faster and stronger than ever.
He ran a personal-best 3 hours, 5 minutes, 48 seconds last weekend at the Twin Cities Marathon. It was his first marathon since he competed in the Chicago Marathon last Oct. 13, four days after he was diagnosed with cancer. In the 356 days in between, Plinske traveled a road that sometimes was more treacherous than any 26.2-mile course. He had to limit his physical activity for 3½ months. He struggled with physical pain and self-doubt. He wondered if his life ever could be like it was before he got sick.
One year later, the 34-year-old Plinske can see how far he's come on his road back to physical, mental and spiritual health. It's all right there on Plinske's computer. Every workout. Every setback. Every triumph, including what he considers his greatest one last weekend.
"I wanted to document what I was doing," Plinske said. "If you don't, you tend to forget about it so easily."
Plinske never wants to develop amnesia when it comes to what he dealt with while he battled testicular cancer. Doctors performed two surgeries on him: first the removal of his left testicle, then the removal of seven lymph nodes, one of which was cancerous. Plinske then underwent two rounds of chemotherapy. He lost all of his hair. He sought solace in food and gained 10 pounds last winter.
The scale wasn't the only place Plinske noticed the effect of cancer was having on his body and mind. He also was careful to note how he felt when he started running again in early February. Plinske's entry for Feb. 2 noted he walked for 15 minutes, ran for five, walked for five and ran for five more before stopping because he was tired and out of breath. His entry for Feb. 19 noted he tried to run to his home in Holmen, Wis., after dropping off his car to be serviced in Onalaska, Wis., but ended up stopping three times.
It's safe to say there were days Plinske wondered if he should just stop — period.
"To be honest with you, a year ago I thought the chances of making a complete physical recovery were slim and none," Plinske said. "Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would run another marathon, let alone another mile."
Yet as Plinske got his strength back, not only did the number of miles he ran increase, but so did his confidence. He completed a 10-kilometer (6.2 miles) race, his first since the Chicago Marathon, in Minneapolis on March 16 in 47 minutes, 30 seconds. He then competed in the Midwest Security/American Cancer Society 10-kilometer run, a race where he served as honorary chairman, in Onalaska on April 27 and finished in 42:10.
It was then that Plinske decided he wanted to go farther — 20 miles farther, to be exact. He set his sights on running in the Twin Cities Marathon the first weekend in October. It would be a chance to compete in his hometown of Minneapolis. To show his family and friends he was indeed OK. To make an already-incredible comeback from a serious illness that much better.
But Plinske's comeback and determination almost shriveled in the sweltering summer heat and humidity. He was running a lot of miles — 68 one week, 73½ another — but felt like he was going nowhere. The temptation to give up was sometimes incredible. But Plinske ultimately decided he had worked too hard to give up.
"I felt like quitting three or four times this summer. I would tell myself, ‘This is crazy; what are you doing?' " Plinske said. "My body wasn't building enough red blood cells. I said I wasn't ready to do this, and I was asking myself, ‘Why fight another battle after you've just fought one?' But then I would go to bed, wake up the next day and not feel so bad. I knew I could work through this."
Plinske's resolve paid off when he crossed the finish line on Summit Ave. near the capital in St. Paul. Not only had he experienced the thrill of running a personal best time, but also the sights and sounds of the Twin Cities. The shouts of encouragement from UW-L gymnastics coach Barbara Gibson, who was there to watch her daughter, Kelli, run. The beauty of the lakes along the course. The 324 churches along the route that he said reminded him of all the prayers that everyone had said for him over the last year.
It ended up being an incredible day for Plinske. One that mere words on a computer screen just never would be able to do justice.
"The last year has been a marathon," Plinske said. "Running 26.2 miles was just the icing on the cake."
Kirk Bey can be reached at (608) 782-9710, ext. 414, or at kbey@lacrossetribune.com
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