Ten weeks ago, trail running felt like a negotiation with my knees rather than something I could do without concerns. I still loved being out on the trails—but knowing the pain was going to hit me twelve hours later was always in the back of my mind. Every downhill section made me tense. Technical terrain felt risky. After runs, my knees ached so badly that it would wake me up in the night.

The benefits of running are really helpful for me so I wanted to keep at it. So ten weeks ago, I made a decision to take the advice of my physiotherapist wife and started doing leg strength exercises.

There is a reason people skip leg day, it’s f***ing hard work!  The exercises made me realise that my legs were not very strong. All of the exercises were challenging and I felt the burn after each session which made me realise it must have been working.

There are no muscles in your knees (I don’t think!) so it’s a case of building up strength in all the muscles around them and also some that you don’t think would have anything to do with your knees.

I following this plan on Runners World and seek out videos like this one when I'm unsure of the form for the excercise.

During the first few weeks I certainly felt like giving up but just like running, you get to a place where you know you just need to stick at it to make it pay off. When I was running I paid closer attention to how my body felt and genuinely started noticing a difference after only a few weeks. 

Around week four, I noticed a real difference, the knee pain subsided but I also felt stronger in all aspects of my running, it felt like I could go faster and push things a bit more if I wanted. Waking up with pain in the night was far less frequent. My knees still spoke up occasionally, but it was less sharp. I wasn’t carrying soreness for days, and that constant low-level irritation began to fade.

Now, ten weeks in, I feel stronger in a way that directly translates to the trails. My legs feel more resilient, more capable of absorbing impact and adapting to unpredictable terrain. I feel steadier hopping over roots, more confident descending, and less cautious. The knee pain has almost disappeared.

Strength training didn’t just reduce pain—it changed how I see my running. I feel like I’m building a foundation that supports the miles I want to run. Trail running feels fun again. Ten weeks ago, I was running through the pain and now I just feel like I’m getting stronger.

I’m training for the Golden Ultra this September and I’ll update how my training is going as I work towards the event.