I wake up before my alarm goes off. The clock displays 5:58 a.m. My first day of training on foreign ice, with a foreign coach, after a major injury. I can’t begin to describe the anxiety festering in me, I’m definitely on edge.

The house is quiet, and the morning light is peaking through my blinds. I stretch out in my cozy warm bed before getting up to shower. I chose to use warm water rather than hot, fearing my muscles will relax too much in the hot water. I know I’m going to be spaghetti legs today, and I refuse to worsen my condition.

Wrapped in a towel, I...