Overtraining and HR?
As noted in a prior post, I've been for about 9 months battling what is believed to be an overtraining condition that has persisted despite all efforts to recover. One of the more alarming signs, and one I've been using to gauge recovery, is my HR. Some sources suggest OT results in a suppressed HR, while others say it increases (both resting and active). Mine has been the latter.
For the first 6-8 months of this process, my morning resting HR remained at its peak fitness level of 44-45 bpm. Only in the last few weeks, that I completely stopped riding (was doing about one easy ride a week) and became sedentary did it rise to about 50-51. But it's the active HR that causes concern. In the past, I could do recovery rides steadily under 100 bpm; now I'm at around 105 standing over the bike in the driveway, and over 130 if I want to keep the bike in forward motion on a flat road. 180-190, which used to be difficult to reach and was the blow-up point, is now easily attainable. My moderate pace HR (riding about 17 mph) average HR has gone from 115 to about 145-149. Most notably, my maximum HR has increased from 195 to somewhere north of 205 (I wasn't at my limit, so I'm certain it's higher). I've not been able to find any information out there on one's max HR actually increasing, especially not to a value that high, so that one concerns me. HR has been elevated across the board from the very day I rode "off the cliff" but was fairly close to normal early on in the process. It has essentially steadily increased with time, rather than level out or retreat back to normal.
I recently took about 6 weeks completely off and my numbers were even higher (to the numbers noted above). If anything, I would have expected a reduction in HR as the lengthy rest time contributed to some degree of recovery, but the very clear increase suggests possible further de-training.
That all being said, I never checked my pulse before I started cycling, and didn't track it for the first couple years of cycling, so I don't know my de-trained/sedentary heart rate ranges. I'm still fatigued and struggle to sleep so I'm sure the OT still has its grip on me, but what is the likelihood of these just being my completely de-trained heart rate numbers? Is it possible that I could have ridden for 4 years, never seen a HR max of 200, and then suddenly after a lengthy period of rest, be able to do so? And does anyone have any possible insight on the HR max increase?