ATTQOTD:
My clothing options (for tops and bottoms anyway) are limited, because as a fluffier runner, they don't make my size in most running brands, especially things like Oiselle and Lululemon. I buy a lot of stuff from Old Navy, because I don't need the plus size gear (like 1X/2X), but I need the bottoms to go to a true XL and I generally get my tops in XXL so they are a little looser. (And for the guys, no, despite the number of X's, 1X and 2X are not the same as XL and XXL
).
That's a problem I ran into right away, too, when I started running again. Back when I'd tried C25K in 2016 I'd bought a pair of men's shorts at Ross and tried to convince myself that I didn't mind the way my thighs continually tried to eat them. Between then and now I happened to pick up a pair of athletic(??) capris from Maurice's that I'd just been wearing with tunics as everyday clothes because they were comfy and less finicky than most of the leggings I've found. Bought a second pair from them in the same size back in June and they fit just as nicely, so even though I'm not positive they have as good of wicking properties as other capris on the market, they're comfortable and I can reliably get ones that fit me and that's enough for me at this point.
Yep, exactly, except after taking photo was find a stick & move snake from the road
I didn't want it to get hit! It kept lunging at cars that went by while I looked for a stick. It was just a bull snake, big, but harmless.
It's nice that you did. I love snakes, but they're...not the brightest animals....
Couple ATTQOTD's as I catch up....
Usual gear/cell phone discussion: beyond the clothes and shoes, I have my Garmin Forerunner 35 (almost got a 25, but let myself get talked into an upgrade for the HR monitor). All I wanted it to do was track my distance/pace and give me intervals, and it does both of those things. I have an armband for my phone that includes a little inner pocket just big enough for keys and a couple of cards, and I always carry my phone with earbuds for music. On weekdays I just carry a house key since I'm just running around my neighborhood; on weekends when I go down to the river trail I also have my car key, my driver's license, and a credit card (though leaving the credit card at home is a great way to stop myself from making a stop for junk food on the way back...). The phone, as I mentioned, is primarily for music...I find it helps me hit the right balance of hitting a rhythm and feeling less overwhelmed by how many minutes or miles are left to go, but not distracting me and dragging me out of the moment so badly that my performance suffers (I tried podcasts for a week, and found the runs unusually difficult because too much of my focus went to the podcast). The phone is also for safety, as others have mentioned; particularly when I'm out on the river's edge trail it's a good idea to be able to call my housemate to come get me if anything bad happens. Or, you know, call the police if anything
really bad happens. Theoretically I could use it to take pictures, but it's such a pain to get it out of the armband that I never do (and I've set up my running playlist with the understanding that I can't really access the phone to skip a song if one I don't like as much comes on--once I've got the music going and I start my run, it just is what it is).
Extra gear for races: Dunno yet. I'm going to wait and see how I feel about the Garmin's interval alerts during the 5K race in October; it's quiet enough that I'm concerned it may be hard to hear the alert beeps before it vibrates to tell me to change pace. If I have trouble with that on race day I think I'll order a Gymboss timer to clip to my sports bra. And, too, as I get into longer races it may be better to have a standalone interval timer so I'm not having to guess how many intervals to set on the Garmin.
Edit: I'm already thinking about what I'll do as far as carrying my phone and/or a camera in the WDW marathon in 2020. I don't plan to listen to music during races in general, so I don't need it for that. I do want to be able to take pictures, particularly in WDW. I might want the phone so I can track the location of the balloon ladies, or else I'd just say I could bring the compact camera I plan to buy this summer/fall and leave the phone behind. Dunno. Don't really want to carry my phone in my hand the whole way, but it's too annoying to get it in and out of the armband. May have to just look at other options for carrying it.
Spectators: I love them. I volunteered at road races before I ever started running, and ran a number of 5Ks before I ever started properly training. Seeing all that positivity was one of the things that first interested me in running as a sport, and while I've also come to enjoy the solitary nature of training runs, I'm really looking forward to races in no small part because of the spectators. I think the first part of the Governor's Cup HM next summer is going to be rough (it starts miles outside of town and I sincerely doubt there'll be many spectators out there), but having done the GC 5K, I know that when you round the last corner onto the final stretch it's like a giant party full of people who are excited to see you succeed. Absolutely love that. Also have enjoyed people who hang out on their front lawns to watch the race and set up sprinklers so you can run through (always just on the sidewalk, though, so you don't have to if you don't want to). I agree, though, that misleading signs and yells re: distance left to go are unhelpful, especially as a beginner who might be struggling. Don't tell me I'm almost done if I'm really not; it'll make the rest of the run harder when I expect to finish soon and don't.
10 feet left or 10 feet right, but under a shipwreck just before the finish gives me bad vibes.... 
