question re clip in pedals

It should not ruin the pedal to clip in and out constantly...it's a part of bike riding and needs to be done.

Yes, running on the shoe will wear out the cleats.  However, they probably won't wear out as quickly as you think.  Mine are almost 3 years old and while I was careful at first, the last few years I have seriously abused them.  And they are still truckin'.

If you want to put them on in T1 and run to the mount line I wouldn't worry about the wear on the cleats.  Now, if you break down and try to walk 5 miles back to transition in them then you might have something to worry about!

If you're that worried make it a goal to learn the flying mount this summer...then the shoes are nice and protected on your bike!

Clipping in and out should not wear out your pedal as this is what they are designed for.

As for your cleats they can wear some from the concrete but it shouldn't cause you much of a problem.  Mine are worn a little and I don't have any problems.

my last set of pedals made it 10,000 miles or so before i needed to replace.

i clipped out and in a lot in that time.

What type of pedals are you running in?

I use speedplay zero's and gunk gets in the cleat very easily and prevents clipping in. SPD style pedals are bomb proof, I run them on my MTB. Look style cleats don't pick up dirt as much as the speedplays.