Relieved to have stopped short of a century (5)
I believe the answer is:
eased
'relieved' is the definition.
(easing is a kind of relieving)
I cannot understand how the rest of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for eased that I've seen before include "Made less difficult or trying" , "Given relief" , "became less tight" , "Released pressure" , "Calmed" .)