As masters runners, there’s a lot of things we know we need to change about our training as we get older.
Added recovery time to account for our bodies not bouncing back from hard workouts as quickly.
More focus on strength training to make up for the natural loss of strength that occurs as we age, which can lead to more injuries and our times continually getting slower.
But, diet is also a critical element you need to pay even more attention to as you age.
Making sure you’re getting the essential vitamins, minerals and macronutrients can not only ensure you training and performance don’t suffer, but also improve your overall health.
So, in this article I’ll be going over the 4 essential supplements you need as a masters runner to stay healthy and improve your performance.
Are Supplements Essential for Masters Runners?
First off, I want to make it clear that supplements are by no means required for every runner.
That’s right, in am article about what supplements runners should be taking I’m telling you that they aren’t 100% necessary.
That’s because supplements are designed to be just what their name implies – a supplementation to your daily intake if you’re not getting enough through your diet.
It’s perfectly possible to get the required daily intake of any supplement through diet alone.
That said, I am a huge fan of supplements for a few reasons…
- First, most runners don’t eat the perfect diet all the time. Work, family, stress and a bunch of other factors lead to us to often being low in critical vitamins, minerals and micronutrients that can improve our health performance.
- Second, I am a big believer that the easier you make things on yourself, the easier it is to be consistent and stay on track. Supplements make getting in your essential macro and micronutrients easier and oftentimes more pleasurable.
Therefore, the list of recommended supplements for masters runners includes those that (1) have been shown by actual science to be a benefit to endurance athletes; and (2) those that runners often find difficult to fit into their diets consistently.
Protein
When it comes to supplementation, most runners focus on the performance benefit of a specific supplement – like will it allow me to run faster by increasing oxygen uptake, or something similar.
But, what we often forget is that better recovery from workouts is actually the best way to improve faster and more consistently. If you can recover faster, you can workout harder or more frequently and you can better absorb the training benefits from your runs.
Now, as I mentioned earlier, recovery slows as you get older and one of the main reasons for this is that muscle protein synthesis slows down as we age.
Thus, any supplement that helps you recover is going to have a positive impact on your running performance.
And that’s where protein comes in.
As you may already know, running causes the muscles to break down and form micro tears, which need to be repaired in order to get stronger and faster.
The body needs protein for this process to occur. With an adequate supply of protein, the body can build back your muscles faster
For masters runners it’s even more important since research has shown that a greater dose of protein is needed to spark muscle protein synthesis as we age.
Protein needs for athletes
Sadly, many runners are low in their protein intake, especially women.
Ideally, you’ll want to consume between .8 and 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight per day.
That means for a 145lb women, you’d want to get between 115g and 145g of protein per day.
You may often see suggested protein intake totals less (like 1gram per kilogram of bodyweight), but these numbers are usually focused on non-athletes.
Studies focused on the nutrition needs of athletes are always higher.
I highly recommend all runners track their protein intake for a day or two to see exactly where their average lies. Most runners will be far short of this .8 to 1 gram per pound of bodyweight.
Recommended protein supplements
I recommend protein supplements, like protein powders, because they are a very easy way to up your protein intake with very little effort.
Plus, nowadays protein powders are super tasty and you can also get them vegan if needed.
If you’re not vegan, you should look for a whey protein powder as opposed to powders such as pea or soy. Whey has been scientifically proven to be better absorbed by the body.
My favorite way to use protein powders is to add them as flavoring to my favorite meals.
For example, my favorite breakfast is adding flavored whey protein to rolled oats and fruit and then setting in the fridge overnight. The protein not only adds a delicious flavor, but an easy 25 grams of protein for a on-the-go, healthy breakfast.
I also like adding a chocolate flavored protein to pancake mix. It’s a delicious way to make healthier chocolate pancakes and my kids love them too.
Another of my favorite methods is using chocolate or vanilla flavored proteins to make protein brownies and cookies. It’s an easy way to enjoy the deserts I love and still hit my protein needs. A quick google search will give you tons of recipes and ideas to choose from.
NAD+
NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) is an essential coenzyme. And if you’re not familiar, coenzymes are like “helpers” that aid in various processes in the body.
In the case of NAD+, it helps other enzymes regulate important functions such as your metabolism, longevity, DNA repair, and the immune system.
NAD+ is also needed for cells to respond appropriately to metabolic stress and repair damage, both of which are needed for maintaining proper tissue function and health.
Now, I am probably sure you’ve never heard of NAD+ before and I don’t blame you. The research on this is very, very new and we’re only now realizing how much it impacts aging.
Aging and the decline of NAD+
Studies show that NAD+ levels peak during our early 20s and then begin a steady decline, with most people experiencing a 40-50% drop by age 50 [citation].
A large-scale study published in Frontiers in Endocrinology found that the most significant decline in NAD+ levels occur between the ages of 40-49 years old, with about half the decline in NAD+ levels occurring during these years.
From this data, we can see that once NAD+ start to decline, it’s not gradual – it’s dramatic.
By age 50, most people’s NAD+ levels are half of what they were at age 20. The decline accelerates from there.
Why NAD+ decline impacts aging and running performance
Okay, so we know our NAD+ levels are declining, especially once we hit 40, but why is this important? Specifically, how does it impact running performance?
Research has shown that when NAD+ drops, your mitochondria, the powerhouses of your muscle cells and a critical component to our aerobic ability, literally can’t produce energy efficiently.
What does this mean specifically?
- Reduced ATP Production: Mitochondria produce most of the ATP needed for cellular processes. If they are inefficient, less ATP is generated, directly limiting the energy available for muscle contraction during prolonged activity.
- Lower Stamina and Slower Recovery: Less available energy means your body can’t sustain effort for as long, leading to decreased endurance. Recovery time also increases because the cells need more time to replenish energy stores.
- Increased Lactate Buildup: Inefficient mitochondrial function leads to less lactate being oxidized and processed for energy. This results in a buildup of lactate, which contributes to early fatigue and diminished exercise performance.
- Muscle Weakness and Fatigue: The lack of sufficient energy and increased oxidative stress can lead to muscle weakness and general fatigue.
- Decreased Mitochondrial Density: Over time, there is a natural decline in the number of mitochondria, especially in muscle tissue. This reduction in “powerhouses” means less energy is available for movement, directly impacting strength and endurance.
How to Combat NAD+ Decline
Luckily, in recent years there’s been some groundbreaking research and development on supplements that can directly boost NAD+ levels.
In fact, research has shown that supplementing with NAD+ restores NAD+ levels and prevents age-related physical decline.
Even better, supplementation has been shown in some studies to lead to direct improvements in endurance performance.
That’s why smart athletes are now targeting this cellular decline directly through NAD+ supplementation.
In terms of dose, clinical trials show doses of 1,000 to 1,200 milligrams daily for 4 to 12 weeks seem to be the most efficacious for athletes.
Research also suggests taking NAD+ at the beginning of your day because circadian research in animals suggests that NAD+ boosting compounds offer better support for metabolic health when taken in the morning.
Creatine
If you’re like most runners I know, you’ve probably dismissed creatine as “that bodybuilder supplement” that has nothing to do with endurance performance.
But, recent research indicates you may be very wrong and it could be costing you significant gains in training adaptation, recovery, and race-day performance.
Creatine is often considered one of the most effective, well-researched supplements for athletes.
This is probably more so for older athletes since the research is near universal on how effective creatine can be at preserving lean muscle mass in adults over 40.
Here’s a brief look at just some of the research…
- Research shows creatine supplementation during resistance training in older adults resulted in significantly greater gains in lean tissue mass and muscular strength compared to placebo [study link].
- Meta-analysis of 22 studies showed older adults supplementing with creatine gained ~1.4 kg more lean mass on average than non-users during training [study link].
- Studies demonstrate that creatine helps maintain power output and muscle function even during periods of reduced training or injury recovery [study link].
- Research indicates creatine supplementation enhances the muscle protein synthesis response to resistance training in older adults [study link].
- Finally, creatine has been shown to improve bone mineral density in older adults when combined with resistance training [study link].
If you want a full breakdown of ALL the research on how creatine can benefit endurance athletes and masters runners in particular, check out this awesome recap.
Creatine is a natural compound made up of the amino acids L-arginine, glycine, and methionine but it’s very difficult to get in sufficient quantities through diet alone, which is why supplementation is so effective.
If you’re new to creatine or have tried it before but dealt with stomach issues, our partners at MAS Edge have created a creatine gummy formulated for endurance athletes. You can check it out here.
Start with 3-5g daily of creatine monohydrate. Research shows this dose effectively saturates muscle stores when used consistently.
You don’t need a loading phase. The research has shown 3-5g consistently is enough to get the benefits.
Take it consistently. Creatine works best when the muscles are saturated and occasional doses won’t fully saturate muscles.
Iron
Research indicates that almost 56% percent of joggers and competitive runners suffer from an iron deficiency that severely hampers performance.
That’s because runners lose more iron than most athletes due to a number of factors, such as losing iron through a process called foot strike hemolysis as well as through sweat and the GI tract.
Older runners are even more susceptible since research has shown that we become more susceptible to iron deficiency as we age due to malabsorption and other age-related factors.
As you can see, the cards are stacked against you as an older runner when it comes to maintaining your iron levels. Therefore, it is important that you consciously monitor your iron intake through your diet and with supplements if you already have low levels.
How to supplement with iron
One of the major issues with getting enough iron is that it’s been shown to be notoriously difficult for the body to absorb and utilize.
In fact, iron bioavailability is estimated to be only 14% to 18% for those consuming animal products and as low as 5% to 12% for plant-based eaters.
That’s why choosing the right iron supplement is so important, because a lot of generic brands suffer from the same absorption and bioavailability issues we see with the foods we eat.
1. Look for iron in the form of iron bisglycinate
Chelated iron, such as the iron bisglycinate, is iron bound to two molecules of the amino acid glycine.
This form improves absorption because the two molecules of glycine block dietary factors like fiber from interfering with absorption.
The bisglycinate form is also more soluble, which translates to better absorption, which in turn decreases gastrointestinal side effects like constipation and stomach upset.
2. Take with other vitamins/minerals know to aid absorption
Another “hack” to increasing iron absorption is to always take your iron with ingredients that have been shown to increase bioavailability.
These include the “normal” suggestions, such as vitamin c, b6 and b12.
But, you can also add ingredients like Alpha GPC, which has been shown to increase absorption 4 x more than taking iron alone; or BioPerine, which increases bioavailability by 40%.
As you may already know, that’s why we recommend (and have partnered with) MAS Iron.
They are on the forefront of cutting-edge ingredients and making an iron supplement truly designed specifically for runners.
I saw a huge impact in my iron levels when I switched and they’ve got lots of data from InsideTracker and other blood-monitoring companies showing the difference in ferritin levels.
If you’re just looking to maintain your iron levels, supplement with 30mg. If you have tested for low iron, supplement with 60mg.
Once again, this is not an exhaustive list of supplements you may want to consider. They are just, in my experience, the most common areas masters runners tend to be low in or need to focus on as they age.
Have you tried or are you curious about any supplement for runners that you’ve heard can improve running performance or maintain health as you age?
If so, leave a comment and I’ll start looking at the research and maybe record an in-depth article.
