Featured Coach – Will Small

Coaching Bio

  • Coach at Athletics NorthEAST 
  • VDOT O2 Certified Coach
  • Currently training over 70 athletes on VDOT O2
  • Started running 14 years ago
  • Coaching recreational runners of all ages for 5 years

Why He Loves VDOT

“Until this past year when I subscribed to VDOT Coach, I communicated with my group via email and Facebook. This was time consuming and not as personal as the VDOT O2 app. VDOT has allowed me to be much more efficient in communicating. I input weekly plans on the app on Sunday evenings followed by a FB post to provide any general information that I need to communicate. Athletes are invited to the app and I explain the VDOT calculator so that the athlete can complete and update her profile as new race results are available. It gives each athlete ownership over their plan and eliminates the ongoing discussion of “what pace should we run the workout!”

I enjoy the personalization of VDOT O2 and the two-way communication possible with each athlete if they wish to input run results or ask questions. Having the training on the athlete’s phone is very convenient and keeps the athlete informed of any changes I make for the week. Most athletes now know exactly what the workout is and it saves time explaining the workout, paces and purpose because I have communicated it for that day when I entered the plan on Sunday evening!

While I am looking forward to future enhancements, the use of VDOT O2 Coach has made my coaching more relevant, personal and convenient for both me and my athletes. I currently have 70 plus athletes receiving the weekly plan on VDOT O2. The success from knowing each athlete’s VDOT and thus the proper training pace has been significant for everyone. The results are outstanding for all. One specific athlete, Melinda, has run a PB in every race this year from 5KM to Marathon! Specifically: 5 KM from 25:11 to 20:56; 8KM from 36:33 to 34:01; 10KM from 51:51 to 45:06; half marathon from 1:52:29 to 1:42:32 and marathon from 3:52:36 to 3:39:25. She is a dedicated runner and follows the VDOT paces and the training plan faithfully!”

Why His Athletes Love VDOT

  • “Personally I enjoyed receiving the updates every week. The app is easy to use. I appreciated having the workout with suggested pace provided, the coaches note section and the ability to log reps.”

  • “Love having an app on my phone. I like the suggested paces and also love being able to enter my gym work outs and cross training . This is a big part of my training because I’m unable to run 5-6 days a week due to injuries.”

  • “I find the app awesome! Plan is excellent and easy to use! My 10km times have greatly improved!”