Road Cycling - Just installed my SPD cleats, wish me luck!

Well I just popped them into my shoes, practiced clipping in and out in my room and everything seems ok. They're much easier to go in than I expected and have an unusual amount of float, that is they don't fix my feet enough, there's too much side-to-side swivel before it unclips and it doesn't feel that "tight." But I'll know everything for sure after my first ride with em tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Are they actual Shimano SPD pedals? Which model? Also, you might want to practice a few emergency clip-outs in a grassy park first before hitting the pavement.

Yeah they're the ones that came with my giant ocr2, I think they're Shimano M505.
I ripped the rubber pod out of my specialized sonoma shoes and installed a pair of cleats that the bike came with.
I got on it, kinda felt around till the thing clicked, pushed down until it locked and there I was, one with the bike. Twisting my foot either way about 10 degrees opened it up real easy.
I'll make sure to ride to the park on the regular side w/o clipping in. The good thing is that the shoes have a recessed area where the cleat is so it never touches the ground when I walk or pedal on the other side.

Something else to do with the spd's is that unclip both when waiting at a traffic light in case you lose your balance and check the screws on your shoes after every ride.. On my last ride one screw fell out of one shoe and could not get my foot out without some help.. Good luck..

How can you lose balance by unclipping both?

How can you lose balance by unclipping both?
I think what he is implying is that inevitably if you unclick the left you will loose balance and fall to the right (or whichever side is still clipped in), you get over the tendency but when first starting I along with reports from others found the same problem happens to lots of folks. I typically stand on my right foot with the pedal at the bottom, unclick the left, and than plant it (the left) on the ground at stops. Right leg is stronger and clicked in ready to take off when the light changes.

I can't imagine for the life of me why I didn't go clipless years ago. As for the float, once you are on and riding the float is a good thing and your knees will appreciate it. You will share the results of your first long ride right????????