>>/5/ reporting back in.
Increasing my cadence improved my average times but made riding harder overall (increased avg heart rate, labored breathing).
I also don't have the endurance I'd normally have (40km seems to be the limit of how far I can go, it used to be >70km).
I guess I'll keep training to improve my technique and stroke and report back in a few weeks if I made it back to my normal endurance level.