I usually pick the line number or sub-routine that I want to stop at, set a break point, then just continue (c) to that point (or to those points).

If you actually do want to step through the code, perhaps pick spots every 10-15 lines to continue to (as in, c 451). I do know r will return from the current context, and I've used that successfully. You already know that n will just take you to the next line, stepping over (and not into) sub-routines. I'm not sure what else to suggest.