Protein for Runners: How Much Do You Actually Need?

Fuel and Flow with Jess
A Run Vault series on nutrition and hydration for performance

When I talk about nutrition for running, carbohydrates usually get all the attention. And honestly, they deserve it. Carbohydrates are your body’s preferred fuel source for running and play a huge role in supporting performance.

But there’s another nutrient runners often overlook: protein. Protein isn’t just for bodybuilders, people trying to “get toned” or those who spend five days a week in the weights room. Runners need protein too.

Whether you’re training for your first 5km, building towards a marathon or simply running because you love it, getting enough protein can help support your recovery, strength and ability to adapt to the training you’re doing.

Protein: Supporting Recovery and Adaptation

While carbohydrates provide the fuel to get you through your run, protein helps your body recover from it.

Every training session places stress on your muscles. This is a normal and necessary part of training. Your body then needs the right nutrients to repair, recover and adapt.

For runners, getting enough protein can help:

• Repair the muscle damage that occurs during training
• Support muscle adaptation and strength
• Maintain lean muscle mass
• Support recovery between sessions
• Support strong, well maintained muscles and tissues

Think of it this way: carbohydrates help you train, protein helps you recover and adapt to that training. You need both.

How Much Protein Does a Runner Need?

This is where things can get a little confusing because there isn’t one magic number that works for everyone. As a general guide, runners can aim for around 1.6–2.2g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.

For example, for a 60kg runner, that works out to around 96–132g of protein per day.

Where you sit within that range will depend on things like your training volume, strength training, goals and overall energy intake.

If you’re running regularly, strength training, increasing your training load or working towards a body composition goal, you may benefit from being towards the higher end of the range.

But here’s the important part: more protein doesn’t automatically mean better results.

I see runners become so focused on hitting a high protein target that they accidentally push carbohydrates down. And for a runner, that’s not what we want. You need enough protein to support recovery AND enough carbohydrates to actually fuel your running.

It’s not protein or carbs. You need both.

It’s Not Just About Hitting Your Protein Target by Dinner

One thing I like to focus on with clients is spreading protein throughout the day.

Rather than having a tiny amount of protein at breakfast, barely anything at lunch and then trying to make up for it with a huge protein heavy dinner, aim to include a decent source at your meals and snacks.

Some easy sources of protein include:

• Chicken or turkey breast
• Lean beef or mince
• Tinned tuna
• White fish
• Eggs
• Greek or high protein yoghurt
• Tofu and tempeh
• Edamame
• Beans, lentils and chickpeas
• Milk and soy milk

You don’t need to make every meal a giant protein bowl. Instead, think about including a source of protein regularly throughout your day. For example:

• Breakfast: Eggs on toast + fruit
• Lunch: Chicken rice bowl with vegetables
• Snack: Greek yoghurt + fruit + granola
• Dinner: Salmon + potatoes + vegetables

This makes hitting your daily target much easier and gives your body regular opportunities to access the amino acids it needs.

What About Protein After a Run?

You’ve probably heard that you need to get protein into your body immediately after finishing your run.

Don’t stress; you don’t need to sprint home from your long run and throw a protein shake down before the clock hits 30 minutes.

Your overall nutrition across the day matters much more than hitting a tiny post run window.

That said, having a meal or snack containing protein + carbohydrates after training is a really useful habit, particularly after longer or harder sessions.

Some easy options include:

• Greek yoghurt + fruit + granola
• Eggs on toast + fruit
• A smoothie with milk, banana and protein powder
• Chicken and rice
• Cereal with milk + yoghurt
• Toast with eggs and avocado
• A wrap with chicken or tuna

The carbohydrates help replenish the glycogen you’ve used during your run, while the protein provides the building blocks needed for muscle repair and recovery.

It’s a pretty great combination for a runner.

Do I Need Protein Powder?

Nope! Protein powder can be convenient, but you absolutely don’t need it to be a well fuelled runner. You can get plenty of protein from everyday foods.

Protein powder can simply be a practical option when you’re short on time, travelling, don’t feel like eating a full meal after training or are struggling to get enough protein through food.

But it is a convenience, not a requirement.

And remember, a protein shake isn’t a replacement for your overall nutrition. If you’re having a shake after a run but haven’t eaten enough carbohydrates or overall energy throughout the day, you’ve still got a fuelling problem to address.

What If I’m Not Eating Enough Protein?

If you’re consistently falling short of your protein needs, you may not be giving your body everything it needs to adequately support muscle repair, recovery and adaptation.

But there’s something I really want runners to understand here: protein is only one piece of the puzzle.

You can eat a really high protein diet and still be under fuelling. If you’re not eating enough overall, increasing your protein isn’t going to magically fix the problem.

Runners need enough energy + carbohydrates + protein + fats to support training, recovery and health. This becomes particularly important if you’re increasing your running, training for a race, running high mileage, strength training or trying to lose weight.

Your running creates an increased demand for fuel, and your nutrition needs to reflect that.

What Does Eating Enough Protein Look Like?

Runners should generally aim for around 1.6–2.2g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. Rather than trying to cram all of that into dinner, spread it across your day by including a protein source at each meal and snack. Think:

• Breakfast: 20–30g
• Lunch: 25–35g
• Snack: 15–25g
• Dinner: 25–35g

You don’t need to track every gram forever. Simply make a habit of asking yourself: “Where’s my protein?” Eggs or yoghurt at breakfast, chicken or tuna at lunch, yoghurt or milk for a snack, and fish, meat or tofu at dinner can make hitting your target much easier.

You don’t need to overcomplicate it. Fuel your runs. Recover from them. Give your body what it needs to get stronger. That’s what good running nutrition is all about.

Not Sure If You’re Eating Enough to Support Your Running?

That’s where Jess from We Run Nutrition can help. As a Sports Nutritionist specialising in runners, she can help you work out what your body needs to fuel your training, support recovery and reach your goals without making nutrition complicated. Reach out on Instagram at @werun_nutrition.

Jesikah Ings is a qualified nutritionist specialising in fuelling and hydration for runners and endurance athletes. An accomplished athlete herself, she combines scientific evidence with practical, real world experience. You can find her work at We Run Nutrition.