Yep, I'd go with most of that.
I'm an Inov-8 wearer as well and have never needed to wear them in. The debris gaiters do come in handy for wet/muddy races and I've used those myself as well. You'll never stop water getting into your shoes, so goretex is useless, you just get two shoes full of water, always go for a running shoe that will drain well and your foot then just pumps the water out.
The only difference I would have is the socks. For running these days I always use Injinji toe socks for anything greater than a 5-6km trot, never had a blister problem with those and also no need to lube feet as the toes are separated.
You can also look at taping the toes individually and other bits of the foot to prevent and/or treat blisters if they occur, there are a few books out there on the subject. I use durapore surgical tape as it stays on pretty well even in a wet fell race.