I've been doing alot of running all my life. I'm a really sports kind of guy so i enjoy it alot. For my school i have to run different K's also which lately i finished 8k in 38 minutes.
For gear? I usually just get good shoes Asics are good shoes which i always use for running, together with that i mostly use nike gear for my shirt and shorts. ( Let's trough a bit more air then other brands ).
My advice: I'd build it up slowly, go check some gear out and see what fits you best. For every sporter the gear differents because some people are used to adidas sportswear and some to Nike. ( Sports gear can be on the expensive side if you want good breathing one's ).
Further, i hope you really enjoy the runs and keep building em up. To bad i can't run with you