Question about controlling a DC motor

can I just run the motor straight from the arduino

That is EXTEREMELY likely to damage the processor. At a minimum, you will need a transistor between the pin and motor. Hopefully, you can get some ideas here...

http://www.thebox.myzen.co.uk/Workshop/Motors_1.html
http://www.thebox.myzen.co.uk/Workshop/Motors_2.html