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Quiet The Noise: A Trail Runner's Path to Hearing God
Many people deal with some sort of anxiety and noise or chatter in their heads. Many of these same people have trouble quieting this noise to be able to pray, or meditate and hear what the Lord is trying to tell them.In Quiet the Noise, from childhood to present day, this book follows the story of Rami F. Odeh, who began his running career at age fifteen, barely able to run a quarter mile around his block, to completing a 53-mile, 12-hour, off-road run in 2011.Quiet the Noise is about much more than running. It is more a spiritual and religious awakening that occurred once Rami took his passion for endurance events off road and into nature.How did it help him hear our Lord? Read on...
166 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 25, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 4, 2021
Quiet the noise
I enjoyed reading this book. I love to run and it was very inspiring. I like to pray during my runs too! It's a great quiet time to think about, pray over my problems and concerns. Thank you for sharing.
I enjoyed reading this book. I love to run and it was very inspiring. I like to pray during my runs too! It's a great quiet time to think about, pray over my problems and concerns. Thank you for sharing.
November 17, 2024
Quiet the Noise: A Trail Runner’s Path to Hearing God by Rami F. Odeh (1st edition, paperback, 2013), 161 pages.
Although there is a lot of gloating, well-earned I might add, this is a short memoir of the author’s years and years of training and working his way up to an ultra marathon (50 miles). During strenuous exercise ALONE is when he happens to find quiet time with God.
Others may find quiet time to hear God by meditating, reading, listening to music, hiking in nature, long drives, or even hunting alone in a deer stand. Others who may be anxiety-ridden, Type A personalities, will need intense, outdoor exercise to clear their minds.
I do know exactly what he’s talking about. I seem to feel closer to God most when I have my hands in the dirt. Hardcore gardening. Although hard at work, my mind seems to clear and can dwell on His blessings more.
I have never felt this peace when I was into photography, nor have I ever felt close to God when hiking beautiful trails. Why?
I believe with photography, it’s my preoccupation…and frustration…on getting the perfect picture to show off and completely frustrated that I could never learn and remember how to use my camera.
Since I require intense work or exercise to clear my head must be why I love challenges and joined the 365 Hiking Challenge (hike 365 miles in one year)…to learn something new about myself and my relationship with the Lord after the death of my husband last year. I hiked alone for the first 3 months. I now have a hiking partner who actually pushes me above my limits.
But with hiking, right now, I believe it’s so exhausting training my dog, “Puppy”, to STOP PULLING. I’m hiking hard, panting, out of breath, head down so I don’t trip over rocks, or constantly trying to get those beautiful photos for the hike, while having my dog pull on me, that I don’t feel God’s blessings or presence so much during…just pure frustration. This is taking the hard, but later rewarding road. The easy road would be to leave him at home. As Puppy learns to be a better hiker, I will be able to relax enough to enjoy my surroundings more and enjoy Puppy’s company.
I need to slow down and appreciate the now. For example, you know those instances when something so beautiful stops you dead in your tracks. At that very moment thank God. His Holy Spirit has opened your eyes and heart to something beautiful and meaningful meant for YOUR eyes only. I’m waiting for this to happen on each new hike. I believe when I finally do feel God’s presence again, I will completely fall apart.
I find it interesting that me and this author have a lot of similarities in our personalities.
The author calls on God to help him get through some really tough races, just like I always do when shoveling and preparing a garden bed in 90% temperatures with 100% humidity. “Sweet Jesus, just one more. Just one more shovel. Almost done.”
He also has a tattoo of a cross to remind him who is in charge. I wear a silver cross ring on my thumb to remind me of the same thing and have a cross tattoo on my foot as a symbol of my belief. I have had plans for one more tattoo: LOVE DOES to remind me that love is an action word, not fluff out of the mouth.
✝️ Pray this before every hike to:
- have a good day
- stay in the moment
- be open to whatever God has in store for you.
“We all need a vehicle that allows us to find a quiet place, away from distractions, to reflect and have enough time to process.” (p. 156)
God will make himself available to each of us in a way we can receive him.
Although there is a lot of gloating, well-earned I might add, this is a short memoir of the author’s years and years of training and working his way up to an ultra marathon (50 miles). During strenuous exercise ALONE is when he happens to find quiet time with God.
Others may find quiet time to hear God by meditating, reading, listening to music, hiking in nature, long drives, or even hunting alone in a deer stand. Others who may be anxiety-ridden, Type A personalities, will need intense, outdoor exercise to clear their minds.
I do know exactly what he’s talking about. I seem to feel closer to God most when I have my hands in the dirt. Hardcore gardening. Although hard at work, my mind seems to clear and can dwell on His blessings more.
I have never felt this peace when I was into photography, nor have I ever felt close to God when hiking beautiful trails. Why?
I believe with photography, it’s my preoccupation…and frustration…on getting the perfect picture to show off and completely frustrated that I could never learn and remember how to use my camera.
Since I require intense work or exercise to clear my head must be why I love challenges and joined the 365 Hiking Challenge (hike 365 miles in one year)…to learn something new about myself and my relationship with the Lord after the death of my husband last year. I hiked alone for the first 3 months. I now have a hiking partner who actually pushes me above my limits.
But with hiking, right now, I believe it’s so exhausting training my dog, “Puppy”, to STOP PULLING. I’m hiking hard, panting, out of breath, head down so I don’t trip over rocks, or constantly trying to get those beautiful photos for the hike, while having my dog pull on me, that I don’t feel God’s blessings or presence so much during…just pure frustration. This is taking the hard, but later rewarding road. The easy road would be to leave him at home. As Puppy learns to be a better hiker, I will be able to relax enough to enjoy my surroundings more and enjoy Puppy’s company.
I need to slow down and appreciate the now. For example, you know those instances when something so beautiful stops you dead in your tracks. At that very moment thank God. His Holy Spirit has opened your eyes and heart to something beautiful and meaningful meant for YOUR eyes only. I’m waiting for this to happen on each new hike. I believe when I finally do feel God’s presence again, I will completely fall apart.
I find it interesting that me and this author have a lot of similarities in our personalities.
The author calls on God to help him get through some really tough races, just like I always do when shoveling and preparing a garden bed in 90% temperatures with 100% humidity. “Sweet Jesus, just one more. Just one more shovel. Almost done.”
He also has a tattoo of a cross to remind him who is in charge. I wear a silver cross ring on my thumb to remind me of the same thing and have a cross tattoo on my foot as a symbol of my belief. I have had plans for one more tattoo: LOVE DOES to remind me that love is an action word, not fluff out of the mouth.
✝️ Pray this before every hike to:
- have a good day
- stay in the moment
- be open to whatever God has in store for you.
“We all need a vehicle that allows us to find a quiet place, away from distractions, to reflect and have enough time to process.” (p. 156)
God will make himself available to each of us in a way we can receive him.
December 31, 2023
The title of this book caught my attention as I tend to pray & commune with God during my runs. I enjoyed the first few chapters. However, the more I got into the book, the more it seemed to be about the author and his running/ training habits, race accomplisments, etc. and less about God. I was offended by several curse words and put off when he mentioned drinking beer after a run and even getting drunk and then being hungover. I finished the book to be able to write a fair review. As a born-again believer, I choose to try and live a life that points people to the One who can forgive their sins, transform their lives, and help them strive for Christlikenss. We are called to come out from among them and be separate, 2 Corinthians 6:17. Therefore, while reading this book, I was not encouraged in my faith. However, I was challenged to step out of my comfort zone regarding running and push harder. Perhaps changing the title to leave God off of the cover, which is what I felt took place inside the book. God was left out.
Disappointed.
Disappointed.
May 5, 2023
Overall I enjoyed this book. It wasn’t exactly what I thought it was going to be about, but I still enjoyed the read. I like to read books and watch shows/movies about people who participate in extreme sports, so while that’s not what I thought I was going to read, it is what it ended up being about. I appreciated the author taking us through his journey of discovering running and ultimately pushing himself beyond his limits. I appreciated him talking about his faith and the Bible verses that started each chapter. I wish he would have dived in deeper to his finding Jesus and decided to dedicate his life to Catholicism. However, this did give me some things to think about in my own lifestyle journey and finding ways to be in activity and find quiet with Jesus.
September 29, 2022
Almost gave up on this but kept going and found it somewhat rewarding. The biggest issue for me was the overall flow. It felt disjointed, with sporadic entries that didn’t necessarily build on or relate to the previous section. As such, it was sort of a hybrid between a personal memoir of race results and a devotional. Nevertheless, kudos to the author for finishing some incredible races, including that long hard slog through the mud.
December 31, 2024
I enjoy reading and I enjoy running. This should be a good fit for me, right? It was not a great book. More meh than anything.
This isn't a book about trail running or even growing closer to God in doing so. It reads as a guy who likes trail running, telling his kids about some of the races he has run. Oh, and he clears his mind as he runs and God inspires him. I actually don't mean to belittle that last point because it can be an important benefit to running but, as it turns out, it is really only important to the person having that experience.
Very fast read. I don't actually regret reading it but it certainly wasn't what I had hoped it would be.
This isn't a book about trail running or even growing closer to God in doing so. It reads as a guy who likes trail running, telling his kids about some of the races he has run. Oh, and he clears his mind as he runs and God inspires him. I actually don't mean to belittle that last point because it can be an important benefit to running but, as it turns out, it is really only important to the person having that experience.
Very fast read. I don't actually regret reading it but it certainly wasn't what I had hoped it would be.
March 1, 2024
I enjoyed the authors sharing of his journey from road races to trails.
It definitely feels like the author could use more narrative/structure to clarify the overall story he was trying to communicate. (vs. walking through stories and accomplishments.) Was this book intended to be about his faith and walk with God? Or his family? Or his running journey overall? (This was unclear by the end for me)
It definitely feels like the author could use more narrative/structure to clarify the overall story he was trying to communicate. (vs. walking through stories and accomplishments.) Was this book intended to be about his faith and walk with God? Or his family? Or his running journey overall? (This was unclear by the end for me)
January 26, 2025
I was intrigued by the title. Hoping it would help me find my faith again. I love to run and also trail run besides road running. As I read there wasn’t as much about how his running helped him see God but more a listing of what he did. While the stuff he did is amazing I didn’t not find what I was looking for
February 20, 2021
A Training Journal
This book recounts an everyday endurance athlete's progression to completing a 50-mile trail run. Each chapter begins with a bible verse and the author speaks of his faith journey. However, the focus of the book centers on the trail rather than hearing God.
This book recounts an everyday endurance athlete's progression to completing a 50-mile trail run. Each chapter begins with a bible verse and the author speaks of his faith journey. However, the focus of the book centers on the trail rather than hearing God.
February 20, 2023
A Beautiful Book!
Running has been for me, a beautiful time to converse with God. I so could relate to Odeh’s sharing of his faith and love for the sport…and how the two go hand- in-hand. What a great read!
Running has been for me, a beautiful time to converse with God. I so could relate to Odeh’s sharing of his faith and love for the sport…and how the two go hand- in-hand. What a great read!
August 26, 2024
very little insight to share
Modestly interesting account of his progression in ultra-endurance sports. Not much substance regarding spirituality or cultivating the discipline of silence/stillness. Some allusions to it but had higher hopes for cultivating spiritual discipline
Modestly interesting account of his progression in ultra-endurance sports. Not much substance regarding spirituality or cultivating the discipline of silence/stillness. Some allusions to it but had higher hopes for cultivating spiritual discipline
July 30, 2021
I’m a runner that has trouble “quieting the noise” when I’m out for a few miles. This book gave me some insight on how to do this and might’ve sparked my interest in some trail running.
January 15, 2024
Certainly not a literary masterpiece, but it reads like going on a long run with a friend, and I enjoy that. Quick little read, a good break between other books.
March 6, 2024
Wow
Great read. As a old (74) ultra runner 60 mi. It really explains a lot in life
Thanks for the memories
Leigh
Great read. As a old (74) ultra runner 60 mi. It really explains a lot in life
Thanks for the memories
Leigh
March 8, 2025
I'm not a trail runner yet but I love hiking. It's so fun and this read has me thinking about how I hear God in my hikes and I don't totally get what Rami is saying.
October 24, 2021
Runner's
I liked reading this book and the authors story of what running has done for him. I'm not a pro runner, a fast runner, or a long distance runner. I started running several years back and it's definitely unbelievable what running can do for a person physical and mentally.
I liked reading this book and the authors story of what running has done for him. I'm not a pro runner, a fast runner, or a long distance runner. I started running several years back and it's definitely unbelievable what running can do for a person physical and mentally.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews