That’s fair. I’m the opposite and must have perfectly round ear canals or something because basically any wireless earbuds fit perfectly for me and don’t even come loose much less fall out.

To be honest I’ve tried merino tights a bit and didn’t find them much better than synthetic from a warmth or comfort perspective, and the pair I had were much less durable and much more expensive. That said, I live in a place where temps rarely get below the 20s F so its possible that there may be a higher benefit with merino in colder temps.

I’ve typically used base layers bottoms from 32 Degrees, which Costco sells every year for like 2 for $12. I wouldn’t say these worked especially well, but they got the job done without much issue. Recently I switched to these because I wanted pockets. I’ve used that brands shorter compression shorts for thousands of miles without issue, but I haven’t run in the full lengths long enough or in cold enough weather to compare them to either the 32 Degrees or the merino tights I’ve used before.

• The expensive, name brand running clothing is only marginally better then stuff you can buy for a fraction of the price and perhaps not even better at all. I cringe when I see people spending $50 on a shirt or $100 on a pair of tights.
• Hal Higdon marathon plans do more harm then good by gatekeeping higher mileage plans under names like “intermediate”.
• Shokz are ridiculously overpriced for what they are. If you don’t crank up your music too loud you can hear cars and bicycle bells just fine with earbuds.
• Domestic dogs are, by far, the scariest animal you’ll encounter as a runner. I say that as someone who has had multiple close encounters with black bears, cougars, and coyotes. Dogs are more aggressive and less predictable than any of those. 20 people have been killed by dogs in the USA this year.