Working on Speed

Today I did a tempo run. It was cold and rainy so I hit the treadmill at the gym. Like a lot of runners, I prefer running outside, but I think the treadmill may be the way to go for my tempo runs. There's probably something to be learned from making myself run the prescribed tempo pace outside but I have a really hard time with pace consistency. The treadmill solves that problem for me. Punch in the speed, cover the little screen with a towel, and run. I warmed up for 10 minutes at 5 mph (12:00 pace), kicked it up to 6.5 mph (9:13 pace) for 20 minutes, and cooled down for 5 minutes at 5 mph. I think the pace was right for me. It wasn't comfortable and I was happy for it to be over, but I wasn't dying. I think that's the definition of "tempo", right?

I have a 10k 5 weeks from this Saturday and I'd like to have a 5 mile tempo run at that pace under my belt by then.