The 30/30: the best-known MAS workout, and its variations
The 30/30 alternates 30 seconds at 100% of your maximal aerobic speed (MAS) with 30 seconds of jogging, repeated 6 to 12 times. It is the entry point to speed work: short, easy to remember and not very tiring. Here is the distance to cover for your MAS, the variations (15/15, 45/45, 1 min / 1 min), where the 30/30 sits in Running Workout's plans and how to get it on your Garmin watch.
Last updated: 2026-10-11
What is a 30/30 workout?
The 30/30 is a short interval session: 30 seconds at your MAS, 30 seconds of jogging, and repeat. The recovery is an easy jog, never a standstill, which keeps your heart rate high across the whole set and makes the 30/30 effective without being punishing.
A full session lasts about 35 to 40 minutes: a 15-minute easy warm-up with four strides, the 30/30 set (6 to 12 repeats, so 6 to 12 minutes), then a 10-minute cool-down. The repeats are short enough to hold a fast pace with good form, which is why the 30/30 comes early in a training block or when getting back into running.
Try it with your own Garmin
Free, nothing to install: connect your Garmin, then ask Claude or ChatGPT for your first workout. It lands on your watch within a minute.
What distance and pace for your MAS?
In 30 seconds at 100% of MAS you cover roughly your MAS in mph multiplied by 14.7 yards: about 146 yards for a MAS of 9.9 mph (16 km/h). This rule of thumb lets you run a 30/30 on a track with cones, or check afterwards that your repeats were even.
| MAS | Pace at 100% | Distance in 30 s |
|---|---|---|
| 7.5 mph (12 km/h) | 8:03 /mi | 109 yd |
| 8.7 mph (14 km/h) | 6:54 /mi | 128 yd |
| 9.9 mph (16 km/h) | 6:02 /mi | 146 yd |
| 11.2 mph (18 km/h) | 5:22 /mi | 164 yd |
| 12.4 mph (20 km/h) | 4:50 /mi | 182 yd |
The recovery jog is run at around 60 to 65% of MAS: for a MAS of 9.9 mph, between 9:17 and 10:04 per mile, about 90 yards in 30 seconds. Slower is fine; stopping is not. If you don't know your MAS, the 6-minute test gives it in one session, and Running Workout's pace calculator converts any percentage.
Variations on the 30/30
The 30/30 comes in several variations by changing the length of the reps, always with a jogging recovery equal to the work time. The longer the rep, the harder the session at the same percentage of MAS.
| Format | Typical set | What for |
|---|---|---|
| 15/15 | 2 sets of 8 to 10 × (15 s fast, 15 s jog) | Work on speed with very little fatigue |
| 30/30 | 6 to 12 × (30 s fast, 30 s jog) | Discover or rediscover speed |
| 2 × 30/30 | 2 × 6 × 30/30, 3 min jog between sets | More volume without a longer set |
| 45/45 | 6 to 8 × (45 s fast, 45 s jog) | The next step, more sustained |
| 1 min / 1 min | 5 to 10 × (1 min fast, 1 min jog) | Towards longer reps of 2 to 3 min |
Progress first through the number of repeats (6 to 12), then through duration (30/30, then 45/45, then 1 min / 1 min), never through pace: the speed stays at your MAS. The 30/30 counts as one of the week's quality sessions: keep at least one easy day between it and another hard session or your long run.
The 30/30 in Running Workout's plans
Running Workout's four race plans (5K, 10K, half marathon and marathon) use the 30/30 at 100% of MAS in their early weeks, before moving on to reps of 1 to 3 minutes. Here is where it appears in the full version of each plan.
| Plan | 30/30 sessions and variations |
|---|---|
| 5K (6 weeks) | Week 1: 8 × 30/30; week 2: 10 × 30/30; week 6: 6 × 45/45 |
| 10K (8 weeks) | Week 1: 8 × 30/30; week 2: 2 × 6 × 30/30; then 1 min / 1 min |
| Half marathon (10 weeks) | Weeks 1 and 2: 8 then 10 × 1 min / 1 min; week 3: 12 × 30/30 |
| Marathon (16 weeks) | Weeks 1 and 2: 6 then 8 × 30/30; weeks 3 and 4: 6 then 8 × 45/45; week 6: 12 × 30/30 |
Each session starts with a 15-minute warm-up and four strides and ends with a 10-minute cool-down. A marathon plan shorter than 16 weeks starts further into the progression, so the first 30/30 sessions may not appear in it.
Getting a 30/30 on your Garmin watch
With Running Workout, your connected AI assistant (Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini) builds the 30/30 as a structured workout: warm-up, a repeat block with a pace target calculated from your MAS for each rep, cool-down. It sends it to Garmin Connect, scheduled for the date you choose if you give one, and the watch moves through the steps on its own.
Example request: "Create a 10 × 30/30 for Thursday: 30 seconds at 100% of my MAS, 30 seconds of jogging, with a 15-minute warm-up and a 10-minute cool-down."
If Running Workout doesn't know your MAS, creating a workout as a percentage of MAS fails and names the missing data instead of inventing a pace. After the session, the assistant can read the activity in Garmin Connect and compare the repeats with each other: over 30 seconds, consistency matters more than the instant pace shown on the watch.
Frequently asked questions
How many 30/30 repeats should a beginner do?
Six to eight. Running Workout's 5K, 10K and marathon plans open with 6 or 8 repeats, and the plans build up to 12 over the weeks. The last repeat should look like the first: if it is clearly slower, the set was too long or started too fast.
Is the 30/30 recovery walked?
No, you jog it. That jog between reps is what makes the 30/30 work: your heart rate stays high and the set acts like one continuous effort. If you have to walk, shorten the set or switch to 15/15.
Do you need a track for a 30/30?
No. The 30/30 is measured in time: a flat road, a trail or a park is enough, and your Garmin watch counts the seconds for you. A track is still handy if you want to run it by distance, using the table above.
Let your assistant write your sessions
Running Workout connects Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini to your Garmin account through the official API. Nothing to install, and no Garmin password to hand over.
See the connection guide