Hi everybody! 
I'm about to start running the module hoard of the dragon queen and really need lore on sword coast in order to run the game smoothly. Any resources would be of help!
Also realistically speaking, how long should i give myself to lean the lore needed in order to run that specific module?
Any advice or recorces you guys want to share with me would be greatly appreciated.
The best resource I have for FR, not just the Sword Coast, is the 3rd edition Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (FRCS).
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0786918365/
You can also check out the Forgotten Realms wiki, or google for information based off of locations on a map of the area. Just google for Forgotten Realms map, and for Sword Coast map. From these you can get location names, and then google those names. There is a lot of info online, so I wouldn't recommend a book purchase other than the one linked above. It is really a one stop shop for any campaign set in the FR.
Honestly though, you shouldn't need a whole lot of prep for running this campaign. I have run the first few chapters and didn't really need much extra help prepping. What sorts of things are you wanting to add or do prior to running the adventure?