Gathering information is a big part of my job at the newspaper, but it’s seldom an eye-opening experience.Collecting quotes and recording statistical information can be a mundane process that is more time-consuming than it is stimulating. And, being a person who feels a day is wasted if I don’t learn something new, I often have to look for different outlets to challenge myself mentally.This past Monday, however, wasn’t one of those days.I learned something new about the sport of track and field, and it stemmed from Tyler Bush’s victory in the 800-meter run at the state track meet.As an outsider looking in at the sport, I always thought track was a sport that was dominated by athletes who are blessed with the greatest physical tools.That’s not necessarily the case all of the time.In Bush’s conquest at the National Sports Center on Saturday, he actually won the race with his mind, with the help of his running ability.Bush entered the finals with a preset strategy. He wanted to gain a lead early in the race, even if it meant starting the endurance test at a faster pace than he usually would run.In order to get his lead, Bush was prepared to cover the first 200 meters of the event in 26 seconds, which is pretty quick for a race that requires an athlete to run three times that distance before the event is complete.When Bush found out that he wasn’t being challenged for the lead at the beginning of the race, he mentally adapted to the situation. Instead of expending any more energy to gain his lead, he slowed his pace and led the pack after completing the first 200 meters in 28 seconds.With the other runners bunching up behind him as the race progressed, Bush was able to run relaxed, while the other entries jockeyed for position behind the leader.East Central’s Jack Carlson did make a run at Bush in the final 250 meters of the race and took the lead for a short time. Carlson, however, used up most of his remaining energy in the process of catching and passing the leader.Bush had some gas left in his tank. Beginning his final push with 70 meters left, he drew even with Carlson with 50 meters remaining and ran away from the challenger at race’s end.In the end, it was a triumph for the athlete with the stronger mind."In essence, Tyler turned it into a 400-meter race instead of an 800-meter race with his strategy," said H-BC-E-E track coach Tom Goehle."It takes a lot of discipline to run the race the way Tyler did, and he really deserved to win it. He knew what kind of race he wanted to run, and he was disciplined enough to do it."I tip my hat to Tyler Bush.By his winning a state championship because of preset strategy, I learned there’s a lot more to being successful in track and field than being a fast runner.