Learnings from the book 'Relax and Win'

My main takeaway from Relax and Win is to release tension in the muscles that are not needed for the movement. The cue I want to remember while running is loose jaw, loose hands.

Learning to let go

The relaxation exercise in my notes moves through the body: face and jaw, neck and shoulders, arms and hands, torso, then legs and feet. It pairs slow, regular breathing with noticing tension and releasing it. The point is to practise recognising that relaxed feeling.

The book uses “calm” as a word to associate with that feeling. I kept it as a short reminder.

Mental set

Another idea I saved is to choose the attitude I want to bring into a pressure situation. The exercise is to relax, then repeat a short phrase expressing that attitude, such as being calm and confident before a race.

Sources

• Lloyd “Bud” Winter, Relax and Win, excerpts saved in My Notion Knowledge notes, including “How to relax” and “Mental set”.
• My earlier running note, dated 15 February 2024.