Training in the new year

I'm about to have a birthday in a few weeks, and nothing makes you feel old like that combined with an achy back. I've realized that my strength training has really taken a back seat to toddler chasing these days. A certain toddler cannot stand it when I do things like TRX in front of him. I think he wants to be sure he can out-wrestle me ASAP. I had realized I was lacking strength well before my great aunt, who is 56 years older than I am, out-armwrestled me over Christmas. She has, of course, been doing a lot of strength training herself, and is definitely not one you'd call wimpy. I didn't take it too hard, since she's always been really tough. But on the way home from our holidays we took a break from our drive at a park to get some energy out, and I only eeked out 2 sets of 4 pullups on the playground. That's pretty pitiful, even for me, who does not train those muscles with any regularly. My poor arms are lucky to get in once a week swims. A couple of yoga classes left me shaky and sore in the upper body recently, and I realized it is time to start back. For real this time. No more T-Rex arms ("my little arms!"), which they have been compared to more than once. But it's not just about the arms this time. It's my stupid back! The sacro-wedgy doesn't seem to be helping. Swimming seems to be hurting; it may just be the flipturns, but just 3000yds takes SOOOO long without them. A few months ago I rather suddenly was able to crank out a 10 watt higher average for an hour long bike ride, and I feel it in my back every time. I don't think it's just position, because when I take it easy, the back is fine. It is fine when I'm running, but afterward I can feel it.

So maybe I'll just cut out some of the riding and swimming, keep running, and add olympic lifting. I may have signed up for another half marathon, since there's one in my town in a few months. That means I don't have to spend the night in any hotel or get up before 5, and, unlike in Alamogordo, there will be more than 8 people running it. My PR was on this course 6 years ago, and I'm hoping the hills haven't grown in that time. But it's one run at a time, seeing what this old body can take. Is 37 still considered "mid-30s"?