Doug, that does sound like a killer run. Considering the elevation, your pace was excellent. What I've realized as I get older is that it takes more training time to maintain a certain fitness level.
I have slacked off big time the past month or so. I ran my first half-marathon in late September (1:42:38!) after having training for a fast 10K all summer long. I never ran an official 10K but my fastest 10K in august was a 44:xx.
Anyway, after my autumn races I usually take it easy with running and start again in January.
I did start a running group this past May. In the beginning I had real beginners (couch-to-5K) and a few extra people that ran longer and quicker. In the end I only ended up with only one runner who was training for a fast 10K. He stuck it out with me until the Montreal Marathon but he never entered the race. It was a shame as I think he would have done well.
samburger - you really have to try shoes on and you should visit running stores. There are plenty of shoes that are <$100 and I'm sure you'll find something that suits you. I run in shoes called
Mizuno Wave Musha 4. I think in the US they are something like $90 but you really should go to a store to get fitted.