Think about how strong you are now, and how strong you want to be

Last night I took a spinning class at the RSF. I haven't taken a spinning class in years and haven't been to one since actually taking up cycling. I got a great workout and I'm sure I burned a ton of calories and lost a couple pounds in sweat, but I'm not sure how applicable spinning actually is to cycling.

I should preface this analysis with the disclaimer that I know next to nothing about cycling and am not very good at it. A year and a half ago, I hadn't even ridden a good road bike and in the two triathlons I've done, biking has been my weakest link:
Strawberry Fields: 170th/329 (swim 95th, bike 249th, run 120th) 7th/22 AG
Carpinteria: 148th/429 (swim 102nd, bike 221st, run 100th) 6th/42 AG

So here are the things that bothered me about the spinning class:

I wasn't used to "spinning" so fast, and it didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. If I could pedal that fast, I'd be in a lower gear, and in my lowest gear, there's no way I could pedal as fast as the teacher wanted us to. I was doing my darnedest to keep pace with her, feeling like a failure, until I looked around and saw that others in the class weren't even attempting.

I felt like there was a lot of emphasis on pushing, rather than having a good, fluid oval-shaped pedaling stroke that I try to get when I'm on my bike.

I didn't like that we were supposed to be out of the saddle frequently. I need to be working on my aero position, strengthening my back and abs, not standing up. And I rarely stand up on my bike, and when I do it's because it's a tough hill, so it felt wrong to be out of the saddle without an incline, and it didn't feel like it would be good for my knees.

It wasn't my bike. In addition to spending at a least a full five minutes fiddling with the bike prior to class, I jumped off it 3 or 4 times during the workout to try to get the seat in the right position. No matter what, it just didn't feel right.

On a more positive note, I DID like the music and trying to keep up with the beat (I rarely work out with music) and having a coach/teacher pushing me. The most motivating line of the evening, "Think about how strong you are now, and how strong you want to be!" I like the aspirational angle.

All in all, I'm not sure I'll spin again... I'd love to hear others' experiences or thoughts on spinning!

3-mile run this morning. I was worried that I would be sore from spinning, but didn't have any problems. Tomorrow morning = swimming before work!