I run pretty darn slow also, and my time on the chip trail was about 45 seconds slower than my last mile and a half, which was on a track. My roommate, a Whiting guy, thinks that the loss of traction from running on chips and assorted debris vice running on a groomed track accounts for my pathetically slow(er) time. I think (hope)it just takes some acclimation to running the cross country trail.
Cheers -
Rugger