The first few times you go out, just walk. Depending on how much time you have, aim for 20 or 30 minutes. After a couple of weeks you should be able to combine walking and running. Gradually increase the distance and you will soon find you're able to jog the whole distance. Resist the temptation to run quickly - you should be able to run and talk with ease. Later, if you intend to carry on running, it might be wise to buy a pulse monitor.

When to run is not that important. The most difficult part is actually getting out of the door. I find that running home from work is a time saver.

To see a grown man run is sometimes not a pretty sight and often a source of laughter, but it's compensated for by the way you feel after a few weeks.

The Frequently Asked Questions from the newsgroup rec.running can be downloaded here or viewed here.
A Dutch newsgroup is nl.sport.hardlopen. And a French one is fr.rec.sport.courir.

Running links are a selection of web pages made by enthusiasts, clubs, magazines, shops etc. and, though the selection was made with marathon running in mind, some of these have sections on different levels and distances.