Also, when you touch down, are you touching all 3 wheels at once, or are you getting on the mains first and then lowering the nose? If you're touching all 3 at the same time, then you should be able to hold the nose up and slow down more than you have been at touchdown.

I also agree that an 8" pitch is a bit much for most trainers. Even though the engine is dead at touchdown, I think the airspeed on approach sounds a bit high, so using a larger diameter, lower pitch prop can result in a slower descent.