Spinning vs. Running - spins me right round baby

I've recently found a new love for spinning. I had tried it in college (I'll be honest, mostly to meet boys) but upon moving to San Francisco riding inside was not at all appealing when I have the Golden Gate bridge, Mt. Tam, and endless city hills to ride and run on.

So why the new love? No, not to meet boys - I found a winner. In spin, I can:

• Go whatever pace I want while "hanging" with the class - riding and running with others always makes me go further/stick with a workout
• Get my heart-rate up (but not over 140 beats / minute)
• Work abs, legs, and breathing - 3 key elements of running
• Get my work stress out :) an activity I used to earmark for lacing up and hitting the streets on a long run

According to shape.com, spinning:

• Combines cardio and strength training making it a double winner
• Can help build muscle (whereas, per the article, running burns fat but doesn't build muscle)

I don't think one is better than the other, but it's nice to know that spin helps with cardio and endurance.

Per research, my doctor, and experience, spin is good for me now because:

• It's not putting pressure on my pelvis or cervix (read, not a red flag for pre-term babies)
• It's easier to monitor heart-rate
• It keeps me in one place (pregnancy makes me surprisingly clumsy so outdoor biking in the city isn't the bst option)
  

Besides, if Nicole Kidman could spin through pregnancy, and the 70+ year old woman who was spinning next to me yesterday can jam through a 60-min class, I can too.

p.s. I always posted this to my spiffy new Runner's World blog - 0 degrees of separation in my online world today :).