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Maybe this is hard to quantify and probably very route dependent, but how much time do you think you spend in the aerobars on a road ultra? Maybe this is an area I could improve in, I thought I was spending as much time as poss in them, but I'm sure it accounted for way less than half the overall time. The weather (and wind) was bad the entire time, and the roads were bumpy (Belgium) but perhaps this is a skill I can work on.
cg-
I moved into ultras from a 24hr TT background where I was almost never out of the aerobars, other than for braking and handups. I spend a LOT of time on aerobars training.
I'll climb in the aerobars until it gets too steep. I'll get out of the aerobars riding through busy places, technical climbs and some technical descents. Basically, if there's hazards I might need to brake for or maybe in ultras I'm taking a photo of something I'll sit up but I'm definitely in the aerobars more than most. Nowadays less so because I don't train so much and I'm tending to do hillier and or rougher rides but any time the road/trail is clear I'd be back on the extensions.
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weather (and wind) was bad
What did mine was riding with numb hands in a cross wind trying to keep the bike straight, and couldn't tell how hard I was gripping.
hippy
frank9755
If you're on the aerobars you don't really grip the bars. Maybe you're overestimating how much time you were using them. Particularly hilly and/or rough courses you might find you're not using them much at all.