How injury Inspires
My story on how getting a navicular stress fracture in my foot led me to footwear product design
When it all began
My running story begins in the 5th grade when I joined the Boulder Mountain Warriors running team. I fell in love with the sport and never turned back. I was inspired by my older sister who was winning her high school cross country meets. I knew I wanted to be just like her.
When running at Niwot high school I found out what it means to be part of a team. I learned how to be a leader, be gritty, and have a great work ethic. I worked hard enough not only in running but also in academics in order to have the opportunity to continue my career at Stanford University.
Blessings in disguise
At the beginning of my sophomore year cross country season at Stanford I started having pain in my foot. Since I hadn’t had prior injuries I thought it was nothing. I kept running through it, damaging my bone in the process. I finally got a MRI and found a stress reaction (the grade before a fracture) in my navicular.
I went through rehab and after a couple months got to start running again, but my foot pain persisted. I was so desperate to get back on track that I ran through pain that should of been acknowledged. I got another MRI and found a fracture in my foot. My best option was surgery that would set me back 10 weeks.
I got the surgery and knew I never wanted this to happen again. This led me to researching running shoes seeing it that was the root of my issues.
The future of footwear
While injured I started dreaming of the possibilities of running and recovery shoe wear.
These dreams are becoming more feasible while studying at the Stanford D.School (Design School). I’ve been collaborating with classmates and professors on how to turn my dreams into realities. I’ve also aligned my classes with human anatomy, psychology and product design to further my research.
