You probably didn't hurt records or cartridge at "close to the tracking force" but you don't need anywhere that much. It's a "hangover" rule from the days of elliptical styli and low VTF MM cartridges.
The L2 has a high enough compliance (fairly squishy suspension) that you ought to be able to adjust the AS visually. View the cartridge head on with a bright light on it. As you lower the stylus into the groove, if there's too little AS, the cantilever will appear to deflect outward toward the edge of the record. Too little, it will appear to deflect inward. When the AS is just right, it will not deflect either way. Today most MC carts need much lower AS than the old "equal to the tracking force" rule. Van den Hul recommends 1/3 of the tracking force for his cartridges, or more accurately, cartridges with a van den Hul stylus in them.
Don't get frustrated if you're not sure you have it perfect. Close is close enough. If you want to be compulsive, you can put on a vocal soloist or solo guitar, set the preamp to "mono" if possible, and adjust the AS very slightly up or down endlessly until you feel the imaging is perfect.
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