Now one of the senior members of the Glasgow squad - Pat made his debut for the Warriors in 2007, he's working hard as preparations continue for the 2017/18 campaign under new head coach Dave Rennie.
Speaking to Warriors TV, Pat said: "I guess at the start [of the block] you know how it's going to be. The young boys come in full of excitement and energy and then hit the wall fairly quickly, whereas once you've done it a few times you know how tough things get.
"You want to get there, you feel good when you get there and come out of it feeling even better.0
"Being a senior player, you challenge yourself. You don't want any youngster being able to overtake you, so you work to be faster, fitter and stronger. The younger guys come in and challenge you and that's what makes you want to get better.
"Jamie Bhatti is pushing on well - he's getting fit and strong like all tighthead props do!
"The young stand-offs we've got too, in Paddy Dewhirst and Adam Hastings, have come in and done really well."
With Dave Rennie not scheduled to arrive at Scotstoun until the completion of the Chiefs' Super Rugby campaign, assistants Jason O'Halloran, Jonathan Humphreys and Kenny Murray have been overseeing the work of the Warriors squad so far and Pat has been particularly impressed by forwards coach Humphreys.
He added: "Humphs is very good. He's got a real focus on the mental attitude of confrontation, which as a tight-five forward is what you look for. Throughout the season, when we come up against big packs, it'll serve us well."
With summer tours now over, Glasgow's international contingent will soon be making their way back to Scotstoun ahead of the new season. However, they will need to hit the ground running, according to Pat.
He explained: "Right at the start of pre-season we had a meeting and we set our stall out that, when the international boys come back, we want to shock them with how tight-knit a group we are and how hard we've been working.
"That's a big driving force for us, both on and off the pitch."