Thanks ladies, for all your help and advice! I ended up taking about 4 hours adjusting and readjusting the cleats until I found what was comfortable. I rode in my first FULL group ride with the women's team I joined last week. Had some issues clipping in quickly, but otherwise, no falls!!!!!!!! We had many stops, as we were on the roads, so I had a lot of practice, as well as success!

The scariest thing that happened yesterday was on a busy bridge that was crossing the Mississippi. We had to stop at a light before turning right onto the road that was perpendicular to the bridge. Next, there was a pretty immediate left hand turn at a stop light. I was the caboose of the 7 of us in the group and there was a car coming from the other direction that I had to quickly ride in front of (don't worry, there was enough room) to get onto the bridge. This was all while my right foot was not clipping in, just resting on the pedal. I had to continue with my right foot unclipped while crossing this bridge, which is under construction, busy, only 2 lanes (one in each direction), and in a pretty strong crosswind. I knew that I needed to keep my right foot on the pedal and not attempt to clip in, because I could have lost my balance and fallen towards the traffic behind me. Thank god my foot stayed on the pedal and thank god my left knee (the one that is only 9 months post major knee surgery that repaired my completely torn PCL) was able to push me across the bridge without the help of my other side. Needless to say, there were many "firsts" yesterday, but I had a great time overall, said for the few scary moments. I'm also terrified of going down hills fast and I'm constantly tapping my brakes. Any advice on how to just be ok with going fast and/or fast while descending? Any tips for safety?

Thanks again!