What version of Videopad is being used and what are the specs of your PC: CPU, GPU, free space on the C:\ drive, RAM? Video editing is resource intensive. Five hours isn't normal.
Make changes, then select (highlight) the clips that you want to preview export. Press <ctrl-C> to copy them.
Open a new blank sequence by clicking the + sign to the right of the sequence 1 tab, to the left and above the timeline. Press <ctrl-V> to paste.
Now export THAT sequence, to review the material that you copied. The main sequence 1 won't be exported.
As for stalling, be sure to let the clips cache fully before previewing. The green line above the thumbnails should be mostly complete, perhaps with a few breaks at transitions.
Toggle the Use Hardware Acceleration option, under OPTIONS menu|EDITING tab to see if that makes a difference.
If the files are very high-def or large, proxy editing may help. See http://nch.invisionzone.com/topic/26563-proxy-editing/
Share your project. Someone will check it out and perhaps spot problems. It's easy...
Here's how... http://nch.invisionzone.com/topic/23659-tips-for-getting-help-on-this-forum/
If it contains sensitive material you can link it in a personal message (PM) to me, via the envelope above. Be sure to FILE|SAVE PORTABLE PROJECT AS, not simply SAVE PROJECT, and don't forget to share it.