New to running, will have to run 1.5 mile in 9:00...need info

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Hi,
Im going to have to run 1.5 mile in 9:00 -10:30 minutes. I am in pretty
good shape but have never done any running. I go to the track at a
local high school and go around 6 times but have difficulty pacing
myself.(also at this point Im completely exhausted, but getting better,
first time I tried I only got around twice.) What would be ideal is to
run to music with the proper beat pace myself correctly. How do
experienced joggers handle this? Also, as I have never done any running
before I have basic questions about form, what should contact the
ground first, the heel then roll to the toe, or should I lead with the
ball of the foor first..

As usual, Donavan has some good input. In addition, pacing is a skill.
Even though I have 10 years of competitive training and racing in my past,
if I go out after not running for a couple months I cannot hold a steady
pace. If on the track, it actually helps to know how fast the 100, 200, and
400m should come up so that you can find your pace almost immediately.
Use the watch, do a little math and keep in touch with your pace. After
enough miles paying attention to the watch, you'll be able to run a steadier
pace and you'll get good at recognizing how fast you're going. Notice the
speed of your breathing and how it synch's with your feet. The key to
running well in distance is to run constant pace, not constant intensity.
Starting fast and slowing down is always slower overall, but very easy to
do - it's a bad habit, and if all your training is like that you can be sure
your performances will follow the habit.
Since you have a particular performance in mind, I suggest running half
of that distance (1200m) every week as a rough indicator of your progress.
The rest of the workouts should be slower like Donovan described. Starting
out, perhaps try doing 1200m at 10:30 pace and see if that is easy or hard
(don't beat yourself up). If you can do it, then do that 1200 each week
maybe at a :10 faster pace. It will take several weeks before your body
responds to the training with faster performances, but hopefully you will
see it. This weekly run should help you a lot come the big performance day.
I've found that if I can run a particular pace/distance in a workout,
then on race day my adrenaline and the crowd will easily get me to carry
twice that.

Dave