WoW newbie looking for advice

[bonemage]

It probably would be so bad if they didn't send me on quests into areas where all the targets are 1-3 levels higher than me.

You're in the wrong area, or doing the wrong quest, then. Fastest, smoothest leveling is done with green quests (the color of the quest as it appears in your log book indicates how tough it is based on your level and the level of the mobs involved). It sounds like you are doing yellow/orange quests, that will be quite challenging. You might try another area, or simply another quest.

Tauren legs move slower, since they have longer strides. They aren't any slower or faster, but they do certainly look like they are running in tar.