Please do not, with no intended disrespect to the good man himself, follow the
Brierley stages. All you do is re-inforce the tour-guided nature of the modern Camino . Help to emphasise the hot-spots and leave the non-head-line villages wondering where all the pilgrims have gone. The next Albuerge at
Brierley's stage end is not a target, it hasn't been selected on the quality of its mattresses, plumbing or Caldo de Gallego. It's just there, where
Brierley thinks you should stop walking every day.
Every off-stage Albuerge I encountered was a revelation: some wonderful, some less so, but they were never full of puzzled pilgrims comparing
Brierley and reality.
To contribute to your original question: start slow, go faster and further when you and your body want to and never listen to the go-faster goblins. There will be a bed, you will find some food: the Camino is not a race.