We did the camino last year (April-June 2008), starting in Le Puy en Velay.
Apologize for not following your order of questions.
No real need for gloves, unless you envision sustained cold weather (below 10 degrees Celsius).
Do recommend that you try to adhere to recommended backpack weight of no more than 10 percent of your body weight. You can make do with two pairs of clothes, although you might need a jacket if you are going into October. You also need something for wet weather.
Your training sounds adequate. The only realy steep point in our opinion is the Route Napoleon between St. Jena Pied de Port and Roncevalles, and that is really only the first 10-12 kilometers, especially between Honto and Orisson. At about kilometer 13 it levels off, and the last six or so kilometers are downhill.
The next really uphill portion is Alto de person outside Pamplona. It is about nine kilometers uphill, but you actually go up the side of the hill rather thna straight over. Consequently it is a realtively gentle incline, albeit long. Again, the downhill is steeper than the uphill.
The rest of the camino is relatively flat. Cruz de Ferro is the high point of the
Camino Frances, but again, it is a gentle walk from Astorga. The walk from Ponferrada to O Cebrerio looks steep, but we found it hardly slowed us down as it was only really uphill the last five kilometers or so. Staying the night was worth while.
As most postings here and
Mundicamino will indicate, relatively few albergues in Sapin (unlike gites in France) have communal meals as an option. But all but the smallest town with an albergue also has a ubiquituous bar, which will invaraibly have either a "pilgrims meal" (approx. 10 euros), or sell sandwiches. We ate donuts that we got in a bar for breakfast, an apple or other item of fruit for lunch, and a full menu de pelegrino meal in the evening without feeling starved at all.
We left St. Jean and arrived at Roncevalles on 25 May and arrived in Santiago on 25 June. This included a rest day in Leon. There are sound thelogical reasons for doing the 33 or 34 days, based on the years Christ lived on earth. But we found instead that we did not really feel that we had done a real day's walk with less than 20 kilometers. Over 30, however, was a long day for us. Consequently you should be able to do it in 30 days or so, barring any major injury that we make you rest more than a day or two.
We envy you at this point and wish you luck.