Liquidsand,
As LarryC says, whatever method makes sense to you, use it. I do marver a few times during my implosion/compression but each time is brief so as not to lose my heat base.
One thing that works for me that I teach is:
After you have gotten your gather rounded out, concentrate some heat near the end of your gather. I allow the area toward the rod to cool slightly (cool is a very relative term) just cool enough to stiffen a bit, it helps spread the maria evenly and a bit thinner. I add heat toward the tip of the gather. That way the glass at the end is softer and will spread evenly and spread out thinner. After i add sufficient heat I press it against the marver pad and this gives me a wider, thinner maria.
It is one method I use to help overcome an issue I was having that my marias were not thin enough. It may or may not prove useful to you. Give it a try, experiment with heat control and see. Here is a little illustration that may help clarify what I mean. I add heat to the top 1/5 or so of the gather.