Coach Michele
Owner, RRCA Level II CERTIFIED RUN COACH, NUTRITION COACh
Michele grew up with running as a second language. With her father working as the high school cross country coach, she spent many a day on the edge of a cross-country race course or in the infield of a track, watching him teach his young runners, listening to him call out interval splits. It was only natural that she laced up her first pair of shoes at a young age.
“So running is "in my blood" so to speak. I believe there is a balance between family, and work, and life and that balance looks different for everyone. I always keeps this in mind when coaching. I love to set a goal, put together a plan to reach that goal, and then work hard to achieve it. I would love to have the opportunity to help you do the same!” – Coach Michele
Michele holds a Masters in Communication Studies from Baylor University. She is an RRCA Level II Certified Running Coach and a Certified Specialist in Fitness Nutrition (ISSA). Michele’s personal running endeavors include distances ranging from 5Ks to 100 miles. Her passion for running and witnessing firsthand how it changes people’s lives is what led her to pursue run coaching as a career. Her second passion is helping athlete's learn how to fuel properly in order to optimize their performance in life and in sport.
“Michele energized my enthusiasm for running because of her own obvious enjoyment. She showed me that, even as a beginner, I could tap into what makes it such an addictive activity for both the serious athletes and people like me. Not only did I get practical advice on how to move my body, Michele also inspired me to feel the joy that can come from being outside and running! Michele’s one-on-one, friendly, approachable, enthusiastic, and practical coaching really helped me. I always looked forward to our runs!”
Coach Lori
RRCA Level II CERTIFIED RUN COACH, Mental TRAINING COACH
Lori is an experienced runner who fell in love with the sport and began her running career during her years at the University of Portland, where she was surrounded by great races and plenty of trails to explore. In graduate school, she ran her first half marathon and upon finishing went straight to sign up for her first full marathon. Lori is proficient in several areas that pertain to a runner’s lifestyle. As the co-owner of West Seattle Runner she enjoys working with runners of all levels on a daily basis, from proper shoe fit and gear to coaching new runners to their first half marathon. After opening West Seattle Runner with her husband, Lori spent several years as a running coach for the Team in Training program where she coached participants to run a half or full marathon, while they raised funds for blood cancers.
Lori holds a Masters of Science in Mental Health Counseling. Lori’s running experience teamed with her career as a mental health therapist allows her to couple sound training principles with helping clients develop mental strategies for training and racing. Lori is an RRCA Certified Running Coach and looks forward to working one-on-one with athletes to take their running to the next level.
“Running is a way of life for me and sharing that gift with others is one of my passions. I believe that this sport is transformative; part of the beauty of it is that it is one simple activity that has different meanings for each person. One of my strengths is listening to what that meaning is, what the desired goal is and offering guidance on how to get there. I believe that with proper training, solid guidance, mental fine-tuning and determination, you will create your own fulfilling journey with running.”
Coach Ferguson
RRCA Level I CERTIFIED RUN COACH
Ferguson’s love of running has taken many forms throughout his life. Growing up sprinting across the field at recess, running track & field, and launching himself down the winding country roads deep in the forests of Northern California. He found his purest attachment to the sport through distance running at age 24 on the trails of Alki Beach. Ferguson built upon this passion by joining West Seattle’s vast running community and furthered his knowledge by joining the staff at West Seattle Runner, where he is now the manager. “Running holds almost no bar for entry. Exploring new areas of athleticism as an adult can come with a lot of fear and shame, but I’ve been blessed to join an activity that labels folks of all ages, levels of experience, skill and speed as ‘Runner’.” Helping runners set and attain their goals is a natural progression of Ferguson’s ever growing passion for the sport.
Ferguson holds a Bachelors of Science in Theatre Arts. As a director, Ferguson found a passion for leading people to the best of their abilities and expanding their comfort zones, preparing them for performance. He became certified as an RRCA Running Coach excited to bring these similar qualities out of his fellow runners.