Trail School: learning to run better, not necessarily more, with Mirabelle Coinus
In this episode of the podcast, I welcomed Mirabelle Coinus, a coach with the Ecole de Trail label, to talk to us about this method and her approach to training.
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Episode summary
A sports coach and teacher of adapted physical activity, Mirabelle Coinus is a certified École de Trail, a method created by Sébastien Cornette that rethinks the way running is trained. In this episode, she looks back on her career, her approach to healthy sport and the philosophy behind this method, which places quality, prevention and pleasure at the heart of the practice.
From horse to trail: an outward-looking course
Originally from Orléans, Mirabelle has long been a practitioner of acrobatic horsemanship, an artistic and demanding discipline. When she moved away to study, she abandoned horseback riding and looked for a new outdoor activity. Running quickly became the obvious choice.
In Metz, she joined a running group and discovered trail running almost by chance, during a winter outing on the trails. A few weeks later, she set off on her first white trail in the Vosges mountains – and hasn’t stopped since.
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A vocation around health sports
Before becoming a coach, Mirabelle didn’t necessarily set out for a career in sport. It was after observing the positive effects of physical activity that she decided to make it her profession: “I wanted to use it as a way of bringing people together and keeping them healthy.”
She studied adapted physical activity at STAPS university, and co-founded Team Moveat, a coaching room in Metz with her husband, where she now assists a wide range of clients, from experienced athletes to those returning to fitness.
Discovering the Trail School
It was at a Clinique du Coureur training course in Chamonix, during the UTMB, that Mirabelle met Sébastien Cornette, creator of the École de Trail method. This approach, at the crossroads of health and performance sports, immediately appealed to her.
She then decided to train and obtain the Trail School label, in order to offer her followers structured, accessible and complete training.
A method for everyone
The École de Trail philosophy can be summed up in three words: trail running for everyone, everywhere, regardless of age, level or training location: the method adapts to every profile.
Mirabelle insists: “Most runners don’t live in the mountains. You can train in town, in a park or even with stairs.” There are even “Graines de trailers ” modules to introduce children to trail running.
Better running, not necessarily more
The big difference with conventional approaches is the integration of muscle strengthening and mobility work directly into the running sessions.
“When I put on my sneakers, I don’t go running straight away. Strengthening is an integral part of the session.”
This more balanced approach prevents injury, improves technique and makes training more fun.
A typical session
A session lasts about an hour to an hour and a half and is divided into three parts:
- Progressive warm-up, lasting up to 30 minutes, with mobility and preparation exercises.
- Body of session, combining technical work, muscle strengthening and running exercises (climbs, descents, circuits, ranges…).
- Collective calming down to end the session together, whatever the level.
Everything is adaptable: beginners and experienced runners train together, but with different instructions and intensities. “The strength of the method is that we can experience everything together, even with different objectives.”
Concrete results
Since adopting this method, Mirabelle has noticed fewer injuries and greater assiduity among her practitioners. The group aspect also plays a key role: “There’s a real commitment. The group atmosphere keeps people coming back, even when it’s cold or they’re tired.
In addition to physical progress, she notes improved motivation and effective injury prevention.
Pleasure first
For Mirabelle, the most important thing remains the pleasure of running: “You have to keep the notion of pleasure at the heart of your priorities. When you feel like it, everything changes.
It’s this philosophy that guides her coaching: learn to move better, listen to your body, and make each session a moment for yourself.
A look at the evolution of the trail
Trail running is booming these days, but Mirabelle urges caution: “It’s all going fast. It’s great, but you have to educate the runner properly. You don’t start running to run an ultra.
She defends an accessible and sustainable vision of sport: take your time, progress step by step and don’t rush.
A tip for getting started
Her message to listeners hesitating to take the plunge is simple: “Why are you still hesitating? Try it, and you’ll see. Even if your why is unclear at first, it doesn’t matter.”
For Mirabelle, running – and trail running in particular – is first and foremost a school for self-confidence and rediscovering the pleasure of movement.