Certified Running Coach – Road Runners Clubs Of America (RRCA)
Certified Fitness Trainer – Cooper Institute
Fitness & Wellness Consultant, Speaker, Blogger, Podcaster & YouTuber
In Flight Running is owned and operated by Houston running coach and personal fitness trainer, Michael Merlino. He started his career in the fitness industry when he founded Merlino Fitness in 1997 following 10 years in corporate human resources.
Prior to becoming a fitness trainer and running coach, Michael worked as an employee benefits counselor for The Baylor College of Medicine, an employee benefits manager for Houston Lighting & Power (now Reliant/Centerpoint Energy) and an HR/Benefits consultant to the South Texas Nuclear Power Plant in Bay City, Texas.
Michael has 25 years of experience as a professional fitness trainer and 23 years as a running, cross country and marathon coach. He is certified nationally as a running coach with the RRCA (Road Runner’s Clubs Of America).
After catching the running bug in 1999, Michael trained for and finished his first marathon. From 2000 to 2002 he continued running marathons and became a charity marathon coach for the Houston chapter of The Arthritis Foundation’s Joints In Motion Marathon Training Program. In that role, he coached and assisted Greater Houston area walkers and runners who fund raised for the foundation and trained for and finished the Honolulu, Hawaii and Dublin Ireland Marathons.
During the early years of his personal marathon training and run coaching career, he found that group training programs that truly catered to the personal needs of runners of every skill level were lacking in the Greater Houston area. There were plenty of running clubs out there, just not enough coaching and guidance needed for the average runner to excel. He founded In Flight Running in 2004 in hopes of creating a run coaching program and training experience that was built around a much higher level of support. Coach Michael wanted to welcome runners of all skill levels from true newbies to Boston Marathon qualifiers.
In 2019 Michael embarked on a new running journey into youth coaching and became the Head Cross Country boys and girls Middle School Coach at Houston’s St. John’s School. Training and coaching middle school boys and girls and competing at cross country meets within the Houston Junior Preparatory Conference (HJPC) has been a rewarding experience for him. The team has won back to back girls and boys HJPC Championships in 2021 and 2022.
His connections with the corporate world have continued during his fitness career as he has presented fitness, wellness and run coaching programs and seminars to work groups within fortune 500 companies including Accenture, Exxon Mobil and Chevron. He has also presented to Houston-based companies and organizations including Harris County Health, Acergy Energy, Cemex, The Baylor College of Medicine, The Houston Police Officers Pension System, local law firms and various small to mid-sized Houston based companies. His previous corporate HR business experience coupled with more recent corporate wellness initiatives have allowed him to better understand the training needs and challenges of his fitness Houston clients and runners.
Coach Michael has a true passion for fitness, running and teaching others how to use the sport of running to challenge individuals and optimize health and wellness. He walks (more like runs) and talks the sport of running every day. Michael keeps well connected with the Houston grass roots running and racing scene and the Houston wellness professionals who support the sport.
He has designed In Flight Running to be a very diverse, supportive and a non-intimidating training experience that welcomes runners of all skill levels. Every athlete who is an In Flight member has full access to Michael’s coaching via email, phone and video chat. Equal attention is given to all runners with the goal of improving every athlete’s running skills while reducing the risk of injury.
Michael trains fitness clients at a fitness studio in Houston’s Timbergrove/Lazybrook area (just west of the Houston Heights). He also coaches and trains runners along Houston’s bayou trails and utilizes over 300 designed running routes within Houston and Southwest Texas. Michael is also a fitness and wellness consultant, speaker, blogger, podcaster and YouTuber.