I was 38 years old when I ran my very first 10 K race. 200 + pounds on a 5'11" frame so not a small person by any means. I had been very active in a number of sports but as my participation in organized events declined, my weight went up. Hit the gym and that was great during the winter but summer, not so much so I started jogging 3 times a week. I had one basic out and back route where I could turn around at 2.5 K or a total of 5 K or a little longer to make the run 9.5 K. I only knew the distance because it was on a bike path and my time I would look at the clock in my kitchen when I left and when I came back. I was jogging for a number of years and again, no watch and did not even have the slightest concept of speed work. If it was a particularly stressful day, I would run "hard" and if I was tired, "slow" but those were merely relative terms. A coworker convinced me to run a 10 K in June 2002. I finished that one in just under 50 minutes. I still did not even wear the most basic sports watch and my entire training regime was do 5 or 9.5 K and only slowly started to add "intervals" or tempo runs through tips and hints from Running World. I got real daring and would even add in the odd 15 K run but it was pretty much 3 days of running, 2 days of golf and 2 days of rest. By May 2003 I was down to around 45 minutes and several weeks later, near 42 minutes. Marathon in 2004 and qualified for Boston in 2005.
So if my experience has any relevance to your situation my advice to you is go out and "run" at a pace that seems comfortable to you and a distance that works but do so on a regular basis. You almost cannot run too slow for although your training may not be ideal or optimal, at this stage you probably do not know what your body is capable of doing. Run too fast and you risk an injury and unfortunately, the number one factor in running injuries is a prior injury. If you have any athletic ability and experience, listen to your body. There is no shame at this stage to cut runs short or slow them down. Once you have developed a good foundation and have the experience of running, you will quickly find out what works and does not work. For me, 3 - 4 days of running per week is best for me. Others can do 6 or even 7.
I was injury free, it was fun and I continued to improve through merely getting out there and making sure I did my 3 days a week. Until you have a great foundation I am not convinced that the fancy speed work, etc is necessary or even accelerates one's progress to a point the reward is worth the risk. I can also be the poster boy for fast tracking my training. In 2005 I was doing 40 K runs with the last 5 K at race pace. I took nearly 45 minutes off my marathon time and qualified for Boston and although I have no regrets, it also lead to a series of injuries that a few years ago left me unable to even jog for 5 minutes. I had to take a whole year off from not only racing but even doing any running. So the question you have to ask yourself is do I need to get to a certain time goal now or am I willing to wait and slowly build for six months, a year or more? Having said that, training for a 10 K does not carry the same risks and injuries that are more associated with marathon training but it can happen.
If 3 days a week appeals to you and you want to dive into speed work, I would suggest
http://www2.furman.edu/sites/first/pages/rlrf.aspx I was and now back to being a golfer who will play twice a week or more. So a program that was formed around running three days a week with crossing training on most of the other days has worked well for me. I am not sure it is really necessary to follow the program to the tee but it does provide some structure and some guidance. But I would also suggest you base your workouts on what you are doing now and not what you want to do. It is called the training forward method and that is run to your current abilities and capabilities to slowly but safely improve and what you run on race day is what you run.