Speed-Laces and thoughts on transitions

I practiced my "bricks" last night -- changing between biking and running. The first thing I noticed is that swapping shoes is a huge pain in the ass. So, should I keep the same shoes for the entire duathlon? Well, i definitely can't run in my mtb shoes, and I think I'd lose a lot of time if I biked in my running shoes. Should I keep my running shoes on the whole time but change my bike pedals to baskets instead of cleats? gag, no. Instead, I'm opting for speedlaces. These will help with the transition and enable me to use the appropriate shoe at the appropriate time. I ordered two pair of the speedlaces.
Next I noticed that I'm a total freakin' clutz when it comes to mounting and dismounting my bike. I mean, it's pathetic. So really, i just need to practice this every day as a skill, not so much as part of my speed/endurance training. Three things to practice: running with my bike, mounting my bike and getting my shoes on, and dismounting my bike. Apparently people actually leave their shoes clipped into their pedals, hop on their bikes, and then pedal away, eventually smooshing their feet into their shoes. Fortunately, I have a trainer, which will help me work out these little details. Who knew this could be so complex?
Third, there's the whole issue of "what do I take?" for the mtb portion. I can tell you that when I go mtbing, I don't take anything more than a bit of water and a pump. But, I expect for this I'll need a spare tube as well. I'm going to consult my biker-buddy on this, he knows a bunch of stuff.
And finally, I really didn't notice a lot of difficulty with changing from biking to running. I thought I'd be running like a stove-up old woman, but the transition is actually not that difficult.
Not a lot else to observe at this time, but I'll keep posting as I learn more.
This will be fun, and depending on the condition I'm in by mid-April, I may just sign up for the Gap-2-Gap on May 31 as an "Iron woman". It'll be right after we get back from Italy, but that's okay.