Protein for Runners

I last month’s newsletter, I featured this article An Expert’s Guide to Protein for Athletes. I really encourage you to read it to learn WHY endurance athletes need more protein than the average person, and all about the study behind the info I’ve outlined below.

The big takeaway is that endurance athletes need a lot of protein. The study used participants who ran distances “ranging from 5K to 20K over several days” (that is, 3 miles to 13miles) and found the following:

“On average, the runners needed about 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day to max out muscle-building and repair.

The average value means that half the runners were meeting their needs and half weren’t; a safer threshold, where 95 percent of runners will max out their protein requirements, is 1.8 to 1.9 g/kg/day.”

-excerpt from An Expert’s Guide to Protein for Athletes.

If you know your weight in pounds, that would be 0.73 grams x [your weight] of protein per day to hit the average and 0.84g/lb/day for the higher safer threshold.

It’s worth noting that this is close to DOUBLE the recommended daily allowance of protein according to the FDA and Health Canada.

Are You Getting Enough Protein?

I don’t recommend anyone track their protein intake on a daily basis, but consider tracking it for just 1 or 2 days to see if you’re in the ballpark range of what you need, as a runner. Consider if you may benefit from increased protein intake and how you might be able to increase protein in your diet.

I personally supplement with a protein shake after a workout because I like the taste, it’s convenient, and I know my daily protein intake would be low without it.

Get Advice from a Pro

The numbers from the study are general guidelines for endurance athletes. To get a more precise protein intake recommendation, work with an R.D. who can look at your activity levels and lifestyle.

Estimations

It can be very tricky to track your protein intake precisely, but by using some quick estimations you can get an idea of where you’re at. I’ve listed some approximations below. You can see that yogurt vs. greek yogurt is a significant protein difference, as well as milk vs. almond milk.

  • Fish/Beef/Poultry 3 oz (roughly a piece the size of a deck of cards) = ~20 grams

  • 1 egg = 6 grams

  • 1 cup of milk (soy or dairy) = 8 grams

  • 1 cup of milk (almond)= 1 gram

  • 1 cup of milk (oat) = 4 grams

  • 1 slice of bread = varies depending on the type of bread (look at the label of your bread or google it)

  • 1/2 cup cottage cheese = 14 grams

  • 1/2 cup yogurt = 10 grams

  • 1/2 cup greek yogurt = 11 grams

  • 1.2 cup beans = 8 grams

  • 1/2 cup cooked pasta = 4 grams

  • 1/4 cup nuts = 7 grams

  • 1 slice of cheese (size of a piece of sandwich bread) = 7 grams

Nicole Sifuentes is a full-time Running Coach for adults of all ages and abilities. She is a former professional runner and 2-time Olympian, and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. Read more about her services, and schedule your free coaching consultation. 

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