Runnin' down a dream

For those of you that know anything about me at all, you know that I hate running. I don't like anything about it. I don't like the way that I feel when I am doing in or after I am finished. I have stated over and over that I will only run if someone is chasing me. Well all that is about to change, my friends. I have decided to start "training" for a 5k that is in March. It's a charity/memorial race for a friend of mine whose wife passed away very suddenly a few months ago. I never met her but the news of her death was very tragic and hit Brian and I both very hard. So I decided that this would be a great reason to see if I could develop a good relationship with running.
My first step was to email my sister-in-law, who is an avid runner and triathlete for advice on how to get started and what kind of equipment I needed (ie shoes, jogging stroller). That first step is behind me. Now I need to convince Brian that if we spend money on shoes, a stroller and some tight running pants, I will actually use those things and run. I don't know if I can do that but I will give it a try.
After my surgery last summer on my leg, I swore that once I got off the crutches, I would spend lots of time walking and running, doing things that I couldn't do at that moment. I do walk quite a bit, but have never conquered my hatred of running. I may have suffered some psychological damage from a "running" related incedent. I will close my post with a recap of the tale:
Once I was walking quickly around Lake Hollinsworth. I had on regular walking clothes, regular walking shoes, hair pulled back in a regular ponytail. As I neared that halfway point of my walk. A car drove up next to me slowly and someone yelled out the window, "FREAK" in a very loud, obnoxious voice. I was then self-conscious and afraid to take another step. Remember that moment like it was yesterday, and am scared that it could happen again. Not quite sure what made me freakish on that day, but plan to figure it out before I try running.

I'm in big trouble

On Saturday I am scheduled to take the South Carolina English education exam. It's a two part test consisting of grammar, literature, an essay question about who knows what and how to teach all of those things in grades 7 through 12. I officially screwed. I have been trying to study, bought a study guide and everything, but between caring for a 17 month old child, a grown man who just had his thyroid taken out, working and trying to remember to feed us all, I have procrastinated. And I am doing that now as I write this instead. I took the practice test and missed ONE THIRD of the questions. That's a lot of questions. There were 10 that I left blank because I couldn't even remember the author/literary device/teaching strategy that applied. Let's just go ahead and top it off now with a sick child, so I had about 3 hours of sleep last night and I am anticipating about the same again this evening. So, instead of napping or studying, the two things that I should be doing now, I am trying to get sympathy from my fellow bloggers and I am soliciting prayer as well. I am in way over my head at this point and can only hope that the 3 years that I spent teaching will suddenly flood over me, AND that I will somehow end up with a test designed for people with special needs.