You're going to get shin splints as you start. I got them when I first started, and as I incorporated more running days I got them again. Finally settled on 3 days a week and the shin splints went away.
You can try forefoot running like the other anon said, but most people recommend a "midfoot" strike. This is where your heel and the ball of your foot come into contact with the ground simultaneously.
Bend slightly forward at the ankles and not at the hips. You should almost feel like you're falling forward and your feet are catching you, not like you're sticking your feet out in front of you. To avoid knee pain you want your feet to strike as close to the center of your mass as possible (aka don't stick your feet out in front of you, they call this overstriding).
Learn how to chop your steps. You're gonna feel weird but most runners would suggest a 180 bpm tempo, and this is only going to happen if you chop your steps, so like I said before don't throw your legs out in front of you - take short small steps that land beneath you. Don't worry about hitting 180 bpm now, 160 is a reasonable goal and tempo. If you don't know how to find the tempo of music, I recommend checking out the site
jog.fm or downloading the Spotify app on your phone and using its running feature.
I'm no expert though, this is just what I've learned from all the research I've done. I just finished my first 5k back in July, and I have worked my way up to 10 mile long runs and just raced my first 10k a couple weeks ago.
