Vitalie Ciobanu

Data Analyst as a Service

Category: Trail running

  • Trail running circular adventure: Collbató – Montserrat, twice, and back

    Trail running circular adventure: Collbató – Montserrat, twice, and back

    For trail runners and hikers alike, the circular Collbató-Montserrat route is a thrilling blend of scenic beauty, rugged ascents, and rewarding descents. This circular trail takes you through forested paths, breathtaking peaks, and a few tough climbs that will test your endurance. If you’re ready for a challenge, here’s what to expect 🙂

    Your journey begins in Collbató, following a forest wide, well-marked trail – for about 2.5 km, easing you into the adventure.

    Then comes the real challenge – a steep 3 km uphill climb with a 700+ meter of positive elevation, leading to Pico de Sant Jeroni (1,237 m), the highest peak in Montserrat. The climb is not very tough, only sometimes demanding, but the panoramic views at the top are absolutely worth it. Catch your breath, snap a few pictures, and get ready for the next stretch!

    From Sant Jeroni, a 7 km stretch takes you to the Monastery of Montserrat, a place rich in history and spirituality. While the descent might feel like relief, the last few kilometers are paved and can be tough on your knees – so take it easy and adjust your pace as needed!

    Leaving the monastery, the route pushes your endurance with a steep climb spanning for less than 2 km. Once conquered, you’re rewarded with one of the most stunning descents – 7 km of flowing trails through forests and breathtaking landscapes. This 800-meter descent is one of the few places in the area where trail running truly feels exhilarating.

    Before tackling the next climb, take a well-deserved break in Monistrol de Montserrat. A stop at a local café is practically required – because the next 700-meter ascent over 5 km is sure to test your stamina! Here’s where you’ll feel every step and count every kilometer, especially in hot weather.

    Back at Monestir de Montserrat for the second time, the trail retraces part of the paved road before hitting the toughest section – a downhill stretch covered in loose, unstable rocks, making it hard to fully enjoy the descent.

    Thankfully, after around 3 km, the trail smooths out, offering a gentler and more enjoyable finish back to Collbató. While the last part isn’t as scenic as the forested sections, the relief of reaching the end makes up for it!

  • GR-131 Faro de Orchilla – Tamaduste Trail Running

    GR-131 Faro de Orchilla – Tamaduste Trail Running

    The GR-131 hiking route is a must-try for hikers, as it crosses the entire island and offers breathtaking views of the volcanic landscape.

    According to the Ministerio de Agricultura, the GR-131 trail runs through the center of the island, from the far north to the south, and is charged with a cultural and religious symbolism like few other trails of Canarias. The trail is generally considered a challenging route, taking an average of 2-3 days to hike.

    Also according to local websites, El Hierro has more kilometers of trails than roads, with trails that invite hikers to walk through unique scenery, which changes radically the further you go with lots of changes in altitude.

    It’s also worth noting that the island is known for its volcanic and sharply mountainous terrain, so you can see volcanic rocks everywhere you go, and I mean it.

    Also, according to Wikipedia, the line of longitude running through El Hierro, the westernmost of the Canary Islands, was known in European history as the prime meridian in common use outside of the future British Empire. In fact, it was used as the prime meridian for more than 500 years in various parts of Europe, especially outside of the future British Empire.

    • Distance: 41.19 km.
    • Moving time: 6:06
    • Elapsed time: 6:58
    • Avg moving pace: 8:54 /km
    • Total ascent: 2040 m
    • Total descent: 1940 m
    • Min elevation: 16 m
    • Max elevation: 1500 m
    • With: Alone. Some 10 km before the peak with a nice stranger. We ran together until the peak, where he turned around. Nice guy, too bad we did not exchange contact details. Proof that trail language can be used everywhere.
    • Track: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/12650072929
    Faro de Orchilla
    Meridiano 0 monument
    Santuario
    Malpaso peak. 1501m
    Airport
    Tamaduste city

  • Lisbon, Parque Florestal de Monsanto Trail Running

    Lisbon, Parque Florestal de Monsanto Trail Running

    I spent the past couple days in Lisbon visiting the office and getting to know my colleagues, since I never met them before. While it was a great experience, it was very short!

    Since every time I’m visiting a new city, I like to do a run and get to know the surroundings better, this time I chose the biggest green spot on Google Maps and created a route through that park. It was Parque Florestal de Monsanto.

    A very nice and big park where I would have liked to spend more time there to discover the trails in it, I had to stick to my route because I had limited time before going to office. Overall, it’s a nice park but there are many small roads that are paved; so the route I prepared from home (trail running and following popular routes on Garmin) used the paved roads half of distance I think.

    Nevertheless, it was a nice early morning run! By the way, during the 2 hours run through the city and the park, I’ve seen 3 people running! Compared to Barcelona where I would have seen hundreds at the same hours. Guess running is not a big deal here…

  • La Papiola – Serra Pedregosa – Salomo – Montferri – Santuari de la Mare de Déu de Montserrat Trail Running

    La Papiola – Serra Pedregosa – Salomo – Montferri – Santuari de la Mare de Déu de Montserrat Trail Running

    Pues nada, as Spaniards say, this happens when one Friday evening you’re happy with the work done and think on what to do during the weekend.

    Started planning for a 30-ish km hike, then it went to 45 and then – why not 50?? Then the hike got into trail run… Then next morning this happened 🙂

    Needless to say I’m very tired, tomorrow will be a y tough day, especially for my 2 nails that took all the pressure on themselves 😀

    Bonastre
    Santuari de la Mare de Déu de Montserrat
    Casa Aleman
    Puig de Sant Anton
    Montserrat at the horizont
    Serra Pedregosa