Commute in felt slow this morning. Actually was a bit faster than yesterday, but didn't feel as fast. Wierd.
Finally resolved the clipping in problem I was having yesterday by touching up the rear clip on the new pedals so that it matched the "ramp" on the rear of my SPD cleats (with which they are supposed to be compatible). As it was, the rear clip made contact just ahead of the ramp on the cleat. Filing a slight round-over on the edge solved it.