Good advice from one and all.
If the stitching isn't perfect, just remember - - the object is to get the three layers of fiber held together ...
I have the Pinnacle Grace Frame with a babylock quilt pro ... not much room, but that is beside the point.
I put the regulator at the 5 and try to maintain moderate speed. My regulator will slow down, if I slow down, but the stitches aren't even if I don't move at a rate the machine thinks is appropriate. It is hard to watch, so maybe someone can watch the light for awhile while you practice ... there is a light that will glow red (or is it green) when you are moving faster than the regulator can keep up with ...
I have had professional longarm quilters tell me that stitching in the ditch with a longarm is impossible ... either use the rulers, or make wavy lines ...
best of all, remember ... the first day you started is the hardest it will ever be. Practice will teach you how the machine works. In order to gauge your ability of machine and operator, start choosing processes to work with ... as with the paper and pen practicing ... start making big stipples, or just using your frame as a guide, a straight line. Set your machine speed and then pay attention to how fast or how slow you are going and what the stitches look like ... without a bit of permission to "experiment" with what you own, sometimes, we are intimidated by the machinery ...
Did you ever practice penmanship in school, especially useful for when you started to write cursive? That is an excellent tool for learning how to machine quilt.
Most important, keep getting encouragement, and believe that you can do this! THousands have done it <g> ... and, you will soon be confident enough to encourage others.