Utilizing Heart Rate as an Exercise Intensity Training Method to Determine Overtraining for Collegiate Long- Distance Runners

In recent years, heart rate has become easier to measure and collect data. Heart rate is a direct measurement of the autonomic nervous system. Therefore, it is utilized in aerobic training to determine an appropriate exercise intensity within a general population. Long distance runners utilize blood lactate threshold-based and maximum oxygen uptake-based speeds and paces as their exercise intensity during training. Overtraining is often determined by rate of perceived exertion by the athlete. There has yet to be an established physiological marker to indicate overtraining in collegiate long-distance runners. There are strong correlations between blood lactate threshold and VO2 with heart rate physiological markers such as percent maximal heart rate (%Hrmax) and heart rate variability (HRV). HR-based physiological markers that can be utilized to indicate overtraining are %Hrmax with intensity zones, %HRR with intensity zones, HRV, and cardiac drift. However, further studies need to be conducted to establish appropriate utilization of each physiological marker.