1 hour should be enough, plus whatever time you type to work.

For practice, you can buy a cheapo-cheapo full-sized USB keyboard and stick it to the laptop. It'll have more space and a full keyboard layout... and it'll allow you to type at a higher speed.

I don't know what programs are current, but there's always "Typing of the Dead", which you might be able to pick up cheap at a software store in the budget racks...





Practice is all it is. Practice typing common words so that you don't even have to think to type them (words like "the", "and" and "prestidigitation"... ) and practice keeping your hands in the proper position (instead of wandering around pecking at letters with your index fingers).

It's quite easy. Just takes a lot of practice.