Ipod update

I was given an ipod about a year ago & since we didn't have the proper internet to download songs & access iTunes I didn't use my ipod for quite some time. Now that we've updated our internet I've found that my ipod needs to be updated. Well, I connected my ipod & clicked update. It states that the update needed will take 7+ hours. I left it alone & after about an hour I found that my update had stopped due to the session timing out. What should I do to update my ipod correctly if the session keeps timing out???