Silverman going the distance

Silverman marathon featureNewport Beach resident runs 40 to 50 miles a week in preparation for the San Francisco marathon, scheduled for Sunday.Although Jenna Silverman was always athletic, she was never a runner.

Now, she wakes up every morning at 5:30 in preparation for her first marathon -- in San Francisco on Sunday.

“If anyone would’ve told me two years ago I was going to be running in a marathon, I would’ve laughed at them,� said Silverman, a Newport Beach resident. “I always used to think people who ran marathons were nuts.�

Two and a half years ago, Silverman started running with a friend, and during every run, she would increase her distance by a couple of miles.

“It felt great,� she said. “When I would get back from a long run, I’d feel that runner’s high everyone’s talking about. It’s awesome.�

Silverman, who after running a half marathon on April 24 from Del Mar to La Jolla -- in San Diego County -- said she felt like she was flying, decided the next day to enter in a full marathon.

A 25-year-old full-time staffer for World Team Tennis’ Newport Beach Breakers, Silverman trains by herself, usually running 45 to 50 miles a week.

Every other week, she runs 20 miles through the Back Bay.

“I wanted to train on my own because I can do it on my own schedule and run at my own pace,� she said.

Silverman said at times, however, training on her own can be difficult.

“Sometimes you want company,� she said, “but that’s when you start thinking about random things and playing games with yourself to pass the time.�

For example, she sometimes counts the number of people who say hello to her when she runs by, and when she reaches 10, she allows herself to slow down.

Silverman, who had an athletic childhood while growing up in Long Island, played volleyball, basketball, tennis, and competed on the soccer and lacrosse teams in high school.

She went on to graduate from Colgate University with a degree in philosophy.

To ease the strain of a long-distance relationship with her three-year boyfriend Ryan Gregory, she moved to Newport Beach, where she was an intern for one season with the Breakers.

Silverman, now in her third season with the Breakers, said her position requires doing a bit of everything, including putting together marketing proposals and working with the media.

Silverman, who said running is 90% mental, added that her co-workers have been especially supportive in her quest to finish the 26.2 miles.

With the mental preparation required in running a marathon, Silverman has had no problem finding moral support to back her up.

Her mother, Vicki Silverman, is running alongside her in the first half of the race, while her two friends from Colgate, Annie Stover and Kara Burke, will be accompanying her on the final six-mile stretch.

On the sidelines and cheering her on will be Gregory, her father, Les Silverman, and her brother and his wife, Justin and Dina Silverman.

“I never, ever, pictured myself running in a marathon,� Jenna Silverman said.