Graham Bruce (Brucie)
I have known Brucie for a couple of years through the Warringah Triathlon Club. We connected more recently, talking training, injury, and Old Bull Health products. It was great chatting to him about his exploits and how he trains and stays healthy. It definitely make me wonder about my own training regime.
A big thank you to him for agreeing to share some of these stories and his training philosophy with us.
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Work: Senior Fire Fighter
Where: Fire Rescue NSW
Lives: Northern Beaches
Age range: 60-64
Uses: Old Bull Health Collagen, Testosterone & Immunity Formula
What is your current exercise regime?
Right now, I swim, cycle, and run, so I'm training for triathlons, and I do weights or strength training at certain times of the year.
When did you start exercising?
I have always exercised. I started at the age of 8 doing still-water swimming. I joined Manly Life Saving Club when I was 16 and was exposed to surf lifesaving events and open-water swimming. I then progressed into professional surf ironman and open-water swimming for Australia with distances of 15- 30 km or long-distance relays of 24- 30 km.
What swim was the greatest challenge?
I swam the English Channel in 1994, which was interesting. The water temperature was 15-16 degrees, which for me wasn’t that cold. However, the interesting part was that success depends largely on tides and conditions, so I had to start swimming an hour before the tidal change and then swim in an arc due to the water movement.
My swim was during the biggest difference between low and high tide, so as you can imagine, the speed of water movement was the fastest that summer.
At one stage I was 1.8 km off Calais and it took me 2 hours and 20 mins to reach land (think starting a swim to shore 1.8 km off Manly and arriving on the beach at Long Reef, while trying to swim in a straight line), so definitely some pressure around speed, and location in the channel. You get it wrong, and failure is an option.
All you see is your boat and cargo ships.
I started the swim in daylight, and finished in darkness, and you swim the last bit on your own. It is like swimming to North Head, as the boat can only go so far due to the depth of its keel. So I left the boat approximately 150 meters from land and swam to a rocky beach in France, grabbed a small French rock, and swam back to the boat. There were no crowds, no cheers, no medals, just a personal sense of achievement, and it was the only time I had entered France without a passport in hand.
As I mentioned, the water temperature was about 15 degrees, but I had trained in Manly Dam, which was about 8 degrees, with only a standard swim costume and latex cap.
I feel you just adapt to whatever the water temperature is when it is below 15 degrees.
Really? I made a mental note for the next time I do an ocean swim in a wetsuit in 18 degrees and complain about how cold it is. Mind you, my wetsuit is sleeveless.
From swimming, I moved into Ironman triathlon, which includes a 3.8km swim, 180 km cycle, and 42.2 km run (marathon), for the nontriathletes who may be reading this.
1996-7, I began training and qualified for Kona (Hawaii) in 1999, but I didn’t go. I made it to Kona in 2000, and what an eye-opener. I have managed to qualify every year since, except for the years after my heart attack. Cost and family commitments can also often put these out of reach.
I returned to Kona in 2015 but got injured before the race, so I walked the run leg—not my best performance. I recovered from that, and in 2016, I won the world's 70.3 long course in the Sunshine Coast. I managed to pull my hamstring with 100m to go to the finish line, but I still got the win, with a 1:24 time on the half marathon (21.1 km).
In 2017, I qualified again for Kona and came 5th in my age group.
I don’t keep track of all the 70.3 and full Ironman races I have done, as the cost might raise some eyebrows, but I have done a lot, definitely in the double digits.
My most recent race was the full Ironman in Port Macquarie, where I won my age group.
The week before, I competed in the Australian Olympic Distance Championships, a distance I have not done for over 15 years. All this was probably OK 15- 20 years ago, but irresponsible now that I think about it at 60.
To add to that, I then did NSW Triathlon Club Champs in Forster, where I managed to win my age group by 8 minutes.
Three triathlons, including an Ironman, in three weeks.
OMG. My knees got sore just listening to all that.
Which discipline do you enjoy the most?
My favourite is running, because it is just honest.
You get out what you put in. No one can draft you to gain an advantage, no one can catch a wave on the way in and get ahead of you, no one can buy a more expensive and faster bike than you, no flat tyres, etc. You get the picture.
You do the work, you just need shoes and space, and that’s it.
You run. It can be brutal, but there is nowhere to hide. Do the work and it pays dividends.
What do you think is the biggest health challenge for men over 50?
Keeping our strength up!
Having said that, I also always advise being realistic about your capability and any limitations you have, not as an excuse but as a way to avoid injury and muscle damage.
I know I don’t have the power I had when I was twenty or even thirty, or the speed. I accept that and train in the right zone for my current capability. We are all different.
I focus on technique, and range of movement rather than speed.
We lose muscle mass with age, but we can fight that with exercise and certain supplements. Just keep stimulating your muscle mass with the right intensity for your current condition. Don’t go too hard too soon.
Self-preservation for longevity in exercise is key. You can’t just go do high intensity work, you will pull, break or tear something. Trust me. Always try do some endurance work, as that’s great for weight management.
Don’t get stressed about training plans and schedules. Yes, have a plan, bring structure and routine, but listen to your body and make sure it recovers properly.
I used to do a 7-day training cycle, but now it’s up to a 10-day cycle as an “ageing body” needs more time to recover between workouts, and that's OK. We all have limitations due to physical or other issues.
Why do you exercise?
Social life and mental health. Simple.
Make the time, make sacrifices. There are days, especially when the kids were younger, when I would go out and train at 1 a.m. so I could be home at 6:30 a.m. to see them off to school. The roads are quieter and, I think, safer at that time. I also fit exercise around work and family commitments.
Like it, enjoy it. Don’t make it a chore.
I have had some cardiac issues and various other injuries, but with the right care and advice, I like to think you can always bounce back.
3 bits of advice to men over 50.
- Train for physical and mental health.
- "Do miles with smiles." Leave the watch at home and run your own pace and distance.
- Get a check-up, and don’t compare yourself to people in different life stages or training.
What about nutrition?
I avoid fried foods; nothing good comes from them.
I may eat them rarely and almost always regret it.
I eat plain, some may even say boring, non-processed foods, and more veggies as I have gotten older, mainly for heart and artery health.
I only avoid asparagus. Serve that to me if you want me to get up and run away. I once had an Uncle who ate it every day. To cut a long story short, even the smell makes me want to wretch.
Supplements?
I tend not to take many supplements, and I am wary of them, but I am enjoying and finding good benefits from the Old Bull Health products I have been using.
Any Last Words
Just be realistic about your ability.
More importantly, appreciate being able to exercise. A day will come when you can’t anymore.
Thanks Brucie, great chat.