Good baseline run

Wonderful run today. I like starting out with five minutes on the treadmill for a warmup, then stretching, then 25-30 minutes outside. Today happened to be a beautiful day, about 35-40 degrees with no wind. I ran very steady for 13 1/2 minutes out, then about 13 minutes coming back. So I averaged about 8:50 for three miles. It felt great. I felt strong, but not overworking myself. This is a good baseline test of where I am right now. I feel like I can keep going from here, first in terms of distance, getting up to 4-5 miles, then, with some faster running, get that "cruising" run down to 8-8:15 pace. If I can do that, I know I can run a 5K in 6:30 pace per mile, or about 20 minutes. That is what I intend to do this year.