I really want beautiful landscape, a sense of community, but not the bed race. I'm going in September and I have roughly 20 days to walk
I've been doing 13 kilometers regularly with no problem training daily..
@GigiO, hi: my suggestions below are anchored to what you say above: they are aimed at an arrival at Compostela within your 20 days.
As I understand it, Florida, USA is pretty much like The Netherlands, flat as a pancake. On the other hand, north west Spain is not at all like that aspect of The Netherlands, or Florida, USA. I don't know what this might mean for you. But it suggests to me that for your first foray into Camino, you take shorter days.
A possible route for you, using the Frances, might be:
day 01 - 20 km Ponferrada to Cacabelos - flat
day 02 - 13 km Cacabelos to Valcarce - flat
day 03 - 10 km Valcarce to La Faba - about 200 m elevation gain in last few km
day 04 - 16 km La Faba to O'Cebreiro to Fonfria - 400 m elevation gain in first 5 km then ups and downs
day 05 - 19 km Fonfria to Samos - gentle downhill
day 06 - 16 km Samos to Sarria to Barbadelo - flat to Sarria, then a small pull up to the Albergue
day 07 - 18 km Barbadelo to Portomarin - continue the pull to the ridge then downhill
Day 03 will probably give you sheep and cattle on the hill sides, rams having a bell around their necks.
Days 03, 04, 05 and 06 should give you landscapes (but not all hours that you walk).
That is just on 120 km of the around 200 km from Ponferrada to Compostela.
Leaving you, say, a rest day or two on the way: and time at Compostela to wind down.
An alternative is to start at say Pamplona (definitely not Saint-John) and achieve your daily distances from there, stopping when you have run out days (possibly Burgos). Then, in latter years, returning to your last stopping point and carry on. Repeating until done.
May I comment on the mythical bed race, and it is a myth in my experience.
I started tramping (the term used way down under, elsewhere backpacking, through hiking ...) when I was quite young. Our play ground started near sea level with tops at about 1,500 metres (5,000 feet) asl. The natural obstacles meant achieving 10 km on some days was pretty good going. To give us safety margins during the day we would break camp around sunrise. It is a habit that is hard to break.
When on camino, each day I will have a probable stopping point: but nothing is booked - I just want to be able to enjoy what ever the day and the way provide. And over two months, arriving late in the afternoon having completed more than 30 km (and then aged mid 70s), I had no difficulty finding a bed in France or Spain.
Kia kaha, kia māia, kia mana'wa'nui (take care, be strong, confident and patient)
PS: A way to replace natural hill work is to get regular access to multistorey buildings and climb up, and down, the stairs. With your pack etc.