So, I finally went back to see Walter, the MacKenzie PT I've been seeing on and off for 2 years. My lumbar region is just giving me a hard time, as well as other various areas of stiffness and pain.
After reviewing the exercises I've been doing, per his previous orders, and his testing of my strength, he determined that I have extremely weak glutes and my piriformis is weak, too. He said my quads and hip flexors are wicked strong, and this is putting a strain on my lumbar region. I know this is a typical cyclist problem, but it does explain why I have trouble standing when I ride; it tires me so much that it's hard for me to see why people do this to get up a hill!
So, I have a whole new set of things to do 2x a day, in the hope that after 12 years, I can actually strengthen these areas. He delightfully told me that some of my morning stiffness is "normal age related stuff," without insulting me. Running is off of my plate, maybe forever, but at least until I can work on this.
Walter is the only medically related professional that treats me like an athlete, and not like an old person.
My DH was amused when I told him that I need to work on my azz muscles.